C\J 
CO 
LO 
CD 
C\J 

m 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


-k 

i 


AMONG  THE   PIMAS 


OR 


THE  MISSION  TO   THE 


PIMA  AND  MARICOPA  INDIANS. 


"  With  their  names 

No  bard  embalms  and  sanctifies  his  song  : 
And  history  so  warm  on  meaner  themes, 
Is  cold  on  this.11 


PRINTED   FOR 

THE  LADIES1  UNION  MISSION  SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION, 

ALBANY,  N.  Y. 

1893. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION,  5 

CHAPTER  FIRST,  18 

Mr.  Cook's  narrative  of  his  journey  to  Arizona, 
with  a  sketch  of  his  early  life. 

CHAPTER  SECOND,         -  35 

Biographical  sketch  of  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Cook. 
CHAPTER  THIRD,  47 

Visit  of  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  1).  D.,  at  the 
Pima  Agency  and  Mr.  Cook's  commission  as 
a  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

CHAPTER  FOURTH,  -     51 

The  Pima  Indians,  their  manners  and  customs, 
by  Rev.  Isaac  T.  Whittemore. 

CHAPTER  FIFTH,       -  97 

The  Ladies'  Union  Mission  School  Association 
and  its  connection  with  the  mission  to  the 
Pimas. 

CHAPTER  SIXTH,     -  -         115 

The  Gila  River  Reservation,  climate,  soil,  pro 
ductions  and  ancient  ruins. 
An  old  missionary's  story. 


227199 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

T.     Mission     House    and    Chapel    at    Pima 
Agency. 

2.  Antonio  Azul — his  son  and  grandson. 

3.  A  Pima  village. 

4      The  Giant  Cactus  of  Arizona. 
5.     The  Casa  Grande  Ruin. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  object  of  the  present  volume  is  to 
show  the  providence  of  God  in  the  fulfill 
ment  of  his  purpose  to  send  the  gospel  to  the 
friendly  Indians  living  on  the  Gila  river 
reservation  in  the  territory  of  Arizona. 

The  condition  of  these  Indians,  with  their 
deprivation  of  the  privileges  enjoyed  by  other 
inhabitants  of  our  highly  favored  country, 
was  brought  to  our  knowledge  through  the 
officers  of  the  U.  S.  Army  in  the  year  1868. 

These  officers,  General  Frederick  Town- 
send  and  Gen.  A.  J.  Alexander  being  on 
military  duty  in  Arizona,  became  acquainted 
with  the  Pima  and  Maricopa  Indians,  and 
when,  a  few  years  later  an  association  of 
ladies  in  the  state  of  New  York  was  found  to 
promote  mission  work  in  our  country,  an 
appeal  was  made  to  them  in  behalf  of  the 
Indians  of  the  Gila  river  reservation,  Gen. 
A.  J.  Alexander,  then  stationed  at  Fort  Mc 
Dowell,  Arizona,  addressed  to  one  of  the 
members  of  the  new  association  the  follow 
ing  letter  : 


6  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

FORT  MCDOWELL,  Arizona,  Ter. 
October  18,  1868. 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  ten  days'  scout  in  the 
mountains,  which  was  very  successful.  I  was  accom 
panied  by  one  hundred  Pima  and  Maricopa  Indians, 
whose  wild  ways  and  picturesque  appearance  were 
highly  interesting.  I  have  acquired  a  great  deal  of 
influence  over  them,  since  I  led  the  whole  band  in  a 
charge  over  hills,  rocks  and  streams.  After  my  return  I 
had  a  very  interesting  conversation  with  Antonio  Azul, 
the  chief  of  the  Pimas,  who  told  me  he  would  welcome 
any  person  I  would  send  to  teach  them,  and  that  the 
children  should  go  to  school.  These  Indians  are  docile 
and  friendly,  and  easily  approached.  As  several  white 
men  reside  near  them,  who  speak  their  language  per 
fectly,  it  could  be  easily  acquired.  I  told  Antonio  that 
the  good  people  in  the  east,  who  loved  the  Indians, 
would  send  a  good  man  to  come  and  live  there  and  teach 
them  ,  that  he  did  not  want  land  or  money  from  them, 
but  would  come  only  to  do  them  good,  and  whatever  he 
told  them  would  be  good,  and  he  could  trust  him.  He 
said  it  was  very  good  and  wanted  to  know  when  he 
would  come.'' 

A  letter  was  subsequently  received  from 
Mrs.  Alexander,  in  which  she  said,  that  her 
husband  before  leaving  the  post  on  military 
duty  desired  her  "  to  urge  upon  her  friends 
at  home,  the  importance  of  sending  a  mis 
sionary  or  teachers  to  this  interesting  tribe  of 
Indians,  now  living  in  the  heart  of  Arizona. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  J 

"  There  are  about  five  thousand  souls  in  this 
tribe  and  though  they  have  been  living  for 
two  or  three  generations  in  their  present 
reservation,  cultivating  the  soil  in  a  rude  way, 
they  are  still  sunk  in  the  lowest  depth  of 
heathenish  superstition." 

"The  most  intelligent  of  the  Indians — and 
there  are  many  such — are  anxious  for  instruc 
tion.  There  are  two  white  men  living  at  their 
villages, — (one  of  them  a  licensed  trader)— 
who  have  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  their 
language,  and  could  assist  a  new-comer  in 
acquiring  it.  They  make  it  their  boast  that 
they  have  never  killed  a  white  man,  but  that 
while  they  are  at  deadly  enmity  with  the 
Apaches,1  they  are  the  white  mans  friends." 

It  is  supposed  that  there  are  in  Arizona, 
about  thirty-four  thousand  Indians,  not  one 
of  whom  has  ever  yet  been  instructed  in  the 
Christian  faith. 

The  president  of  the  new  society,  Mrs. 
Julia  M.  Graham,  and  the  secretary,  Mrs. 
Florence  K.  Prentice,  were  personal  friends 
of  General  and  Mrs.  Alexander,  and  being 
warmly  attached  to  them,  they  entered  heart 
ily  into  their  plans  tor  the  welfare  of  the 
Indians,  with  whose  needs  they  had  become 


8  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

familiar  during  their  residence  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  reservation.  On  General  Alexander's 
return  from  his  distant  post  of  duty,  he  was 
invited  to  meet  with  the  ladies  of  the  associa 
tion,  and  at  their  request,  on  a  subsequent 
visit  to  Washington,  he  represented  to  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  the  desire  of  the 
Indians  on  the  Gila  river  reservation  for 
schools  and  teachers.  A  letter  was  addressed 
to  Jhe  Indian  commissioner  at  Washington 
by  the  association,  to  which  the  following 
response  was  made  : 

WASHINGTON,  June  17,  1869. 

MADAM  : — I  have  the  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  a  letter  dated  the  yth  inst.,  accompanied  by 
a  printed  report  of  the  Ladies  Missionary'  Association 
for  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Colorado  ;  also  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of  the  8th 
inst.  These  letters  call  attention  to  the  project  in 
view  by  the  association,  of  a  mission  and  school  among 
the  Pima  and  Maricopa  Indians  in  Arizona,  and  refer 
ence  is  had  to  a  report  made  by  my  predecessor  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  on  the  22d  of  February  last, 
suggesting  that  the  matter  should  be  referred  to  the 
United  States  agent,  in  charge  of  the  Indians,  for  a 
report  as  to  what  would  be  the  best  plan  to  adopt  to 
accomplish  the  desired  object. 

The  officers  of  the  association,  it  is  represented,  are 
anxiously  waiting  for  the  report  of  the  agent,  as  they 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  9 

were  advised  he  would  be  instructed  accordingly  ;  and 
it  is  asked  if  the  government  will  make  an  appropria 
tion  in  behalf  of  the  proposed  mission  and  school.  In 
reply,  I  beg  leave  to  remark,  there  will  soon  be  a  new 
superintendent  and  agent  in  charge  of  the  Indians  of 
Arizona,  and  as  I  fully  approve  of  the  project  of  the 
association,  I  will  bear  the  subject  in  mind,  and  require 
the  superintendent  and  agent  to  give  it  prompt  atten 
tion.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  an  arrangement  can  be 
made  between  the  department  and  the  association,  that 
will  be  satisfactory,  and  result  in  great  benefit  to  the 
Indians.  But  what  amount  of  money  the  government 
will  appropriate,  or  what  it  will  agree  to  perform  can 
eonly  be  determined  upon  information,  which  it  is  de 
sired  to  have  furnished  by  the  Indian  agent.  When 
that  shall  have  been  received,  your  association  will  be 
duly  advised  of  the  conclusion  of  the  department  in 

the  matter. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

E.  S.  PARKER, 

Com  m  issioner. 

When  General  Alexander  was  ordered  away 
from  Fort  McDowell,  Col.  Geo.  B.  Sanford, 
U.  S.  A.,  who  succeeded  him  in  command  of 
the  post,  continued  to  take  a  deep  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  Pimas  and  urged  the 
appointment  of  a  teacher  upon  their  agent, 
Captain  Grossman,  U.  S.  A.,  who  wrote  the 
following  letter  : 


10  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

U.  S.  INDIAN  AGENCY,  SACATON,  Arizona, 

July  22,  1870. 
Mrs.  A.J.  Alexander, 

MADAM  :— By  advice  of  Col.  Sanford,  U.  S.  A.,  I 
take  the  liberty  to  address  you  on  behalf  of  the  Pima 
and  Maricopa  Indians  which  have  been  placed  under 
my  charge.  The  Colonel  told  me  that  you  had  always 
taken  a  kindly  interest  in  their  spiritual  welfare,  and  he 
thought  it  probable  that  you  might  be  instrumental  in 
sending  a  missionary  to  this  agency. 

Col.  Geo.  L.  Andrews,  U.  S.  A.,  superintendent  of 
Indian  affairs  for  this  territory,  and  myself  have  both 
been  and  are  still  anxious  to  establish  a  school  on  this 
reservation,  believing  that  by  means  of  it  we  may  in 
time  improve  the  condition  of  the  interesting  Indians, 
residing  thereon.  Since  my  arrival  here,  I  have  erected 
a  commodious  agency  building  in  a  healthy  locality,  to 
which  I  shall  remove  with  my  family  on  the  first  of 
next  month.  In  it,  a  school  room  has  been  set  apart, 
but  I  am  still  without  a  teacher,  and  see  no  prospect  of 
obtaining  the  services  of  one,  unless  associations  in  the 
east  will  lend  a  helping  hand. 

I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  efforts  to  christianize 
the  Pimas  will  not  be  strongly  opposed  by  these 
Indians,  but  fear  that  their  total  indifference  to  religious 
matters  will  be,  for  a  time  at  least,  a  serious  obstacle. 

A  missionary  sent  here,  would  have  to  acquire  the 
Pima  language  to  a  certain  extent,  and  ought  to  have 
some  knowledge  of  Spanish.  The  Pima  language  is 
simple  and  easily  acquired.  I  have  already  compiled  a 
small  vocabulary  and  my  interpreter,  Louis,  who  speaks 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  II 

a  little  English  and   very  fair  Spanish,  would  render 
every  assistance. 

I  shall  esteem  it  a  favor  to  hear  from  you,  and  sub 
scribe  myself 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

F.  E.  GROSSMAN, 

Captain  U.  S.  Army, 
U.  S.  Special  .Indian  Agent. 

The  U.  S.  government  made  a  liberal  pro 
vision  for  the  erection  of  buildings  at  the 
agency  and  for  the  support  of  teachers. 

Simultaneously  with  the  first  efforts  put  forth 
by  the  Ladies'  Association,  a  deep  impres 
sion  was  made  upon  the  mind  of  an  earnest 
Christian  man  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  111.,  then 
actively  engaged  there  in  the  city  mission. 

His  remarkable  call  to  the  mission  in  Ari 
zona,  is  related  in  the  simple  narrative,  which 
at  our  request  he  has  written,  together  with  a 
brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  his  devoted  and 
heroic  wife,  who  may  be  said  to  have  fallen 
at  her  post  of  duty  in  the  service  of  her  coun 
try,  as  well  as  of  the  Master  whom  it  was  her 
delight  to  serve. 

Rev.  Mr.  Whittemore,  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Florence,  Arizona,  gave  the  first  impulse  to 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN     MISSION. 

this  narrative  of  the  Pima  mission.*  Being  a 
member  of  the  same  presbytery  with  Mr. 
Cook,  he  met  with  him  from  time  to  time,and 
on  one  occasion,  when  together  at  Santa  Fe, 
New  Mexico,  Mr.  Cook  recounted  to  his 
brother  missionary,  some  of  the  incidents  of 
his  journey  from  Chicago  to  Arizona  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1870.  Mr.  Whittemore 

*Rev.  Isaac  T.  Whittemore  is  the  custodian  of  the 
celebrated  "  Casa  Grande  ruin,"  which  is  thus  men 
tioned  in  a  notice  which  emanated  from  the  general 
land  office  and  bears  date,  Washington,  October  15, 
1869.  "The  general  land  office  has  received  returns 
of  the  survey  of  township  and  section  lines  of  five  town 
ships  on  the  Gila  river  in  southern  Arizona,  containing 
105,252  acres  of  agriculture  and  grazing  lands,  bearing 
evidence  of  having  been  formerly  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  for  centuries  and  abounding  in  ruins  of 
elaborate  and  sometime  magnificent  structures,  to 
gether  with  relics  of  obliterated  races,  possessing  con 
siderable  knowledge  of  the  arts  and  manufactures. 
Among  the  most  extensive  of  the  ruins  being  those 
called  Casa  Grande,  about  two  miles  southeast  of  the 
junction  of  the  east  and  south  channels  of  the  Gila 
river.  These  townships  embrace  the  growing  towns 
of  Adamsville  and  Florence,  of  the  Fort  Yuma  and 
Fort  Grant  wagon  roads,  as  well  as  numerous  pro 
ductive  farms  and  pastures,  well  stocked  with  cattle  and 
sheep." 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  13 

being  deeply  interested  in  what  he  had  heard 
of  his  friend's  remarkable  experience,  urged 
him  to  write  some  account  of  his  life,  together 
with  a  sketch  of  his  mission  work  during 
twenty  two  years  and  particularly  how  he  had 
gained  an  influence  over  the  people  whose 
welfare  he  had  earnestly  sought  to  promote. 
This,  the  modest  missionary  was  reluctant  to 
do,  but  through  the  encouragement  given  by 
Mr.  Whittemore,  who  spent  some  time  with 
him  at  his  station  at  Sacaton,  the  following 
brief  sketch  of  his  mission  work  was  prepared 
and  is  now  given  to  the  Christian  community, 
in  the  hope  tjiat  other  tribes  of  Indians  may 
receive  the  gospel  with  all  its  attendant  bless 
ings  and  that  men  and  women  will  be  found 
consecrated  to  the  work  of  bringing  the  light 
of  the  gospel  to  many  now  "sitting  in  dark 
ness,"  and  "  in  the  region  and  shadow  of 
death." 

In  the  correspondence  which  preceded  the 
publication  of  the  present  volume  is  the  fol 
lowing  reference  to  Mr.  Cook  and  his  mission 
by  Rev.  Isaac  T.  Whittemore,  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Florence,  Arizona.  u  When  con 
templating  the  publication  of  a  brief  history 
of  the  Pima  mission,  I  wrote  to  General  O. 


14  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

O.  Howard,  asking  a  few  words  in  regard  to 
the  missionary  whose  interesting  narrative  is 
here  introduced,  and  soon  received  the  fol 
lowing  letter  in  reply  :" 

HEAD-QUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  EAST, 
GOVERNOR'S  ISLAND,  NEW  YORK, 
January  5,  1893. 
Dear  Sir  : 

Your  letter  is  received.  Yes,  I  became  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Cook  in  1872,  when  I  was  sent  by  President 
Grant  to  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  to  settle  difficulties 
arising  between  tribes  of  Indians  with  each  other,  and 
with  white  men,  and  endeavors  to  make  peace  with  the 
only  tribe  of  Apaches  (Cochises)  then  at  war. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Cook  had  two  schools  under  his 
charge,  one  at  the  Pima  agency  and  .the  other  near  a 
Maricopa  village.  He  had  taught  the  children  of 
these  tribes  to  read  and  speak  English  fairly  well. 

His  history  was  so  remarkable  that  I  have  often 
recalled  the  points  of  it. 

First. — A  soldier,  in  probably  the  volunteer  service, 
and  on  duty  in  New  Mexico,  and  afterwards  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac. 

Second.— After  being  mustered  out,  a  citizen,  and 
then  a  city  missionary  in  Chicago. 

Third — A  remarkable  conversion  to  God,  and  an  im 
pression  on  his  mind  that  he  must  go  as  a  missionary  to 
the  Pimas. 

Fourth.— Filling-  his  trunk  with  a  melodeon  and  few 
necessaries,  and  starting  out  with  insufficient  money  to 
reach  his  destination. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  15 

Fifth. — Mr.  Cook  joined  a  bull-train  after  leaving 
the  railroad  in  Kansas,  and  went  on  with  it  as  far  as 
Albuquerque,  New  Mexico. 

Sixth. — Stopping  with  a  train  over  Sunday  near  a  min 
ing  camp.  Upon  making  inquiry  he  was  invited  to 
preach  in  a  large  saloon,  the  only  available  room.  He 
preached  a  short  sermon,  reading  the  scriptures,  lead 
ing  the  singing,  in  which  many  joined.  At  the  close  a 
man  with  a  tall  hat,  declared  that  the  service  would  not 
be  complete  without  a  collection.  He  passed  the  tall 
hat  and  received—  if  I  remember  rightly — some  sixteen 
or  seventeen  dollars  which  he  gave  to  Mr.  Cook. 

Seventh. — Thus  he  was  enabled  to  reach  his  destina 
tion  with  some  money  in  his  pocket  after  a  sixteen  weeks' 
journey  and  preaching  tour.  He  first  learned  the  Pima 
language  and  then  taught  the  children  as  I  have  said  ; 
they  spoke  the  English  with  a  German  accent. 

Eighth. — He  acted  as  my  interpreter  when  I  brought 
a  combined  delegation  of  Arizona  Indians  from  that 
territory  to  Washington.  He  helped  me  in  the  essen 
tial  councils  and  settlements  of  difficulties  in  Arizona. 

Ninth. — He  corresponded  with  and  visited  a  beauti 
ful  German  woman,  as  full  of  Christian  zeal  as  himself. 
He  married  her,  I  think  in  Chicago,  and  transported 
her  to  Arizona,  and  there  they  have  done  the  grand 
work  with  which  you  are  acquainted.  I  believe  that 
his  original  German  name  was  Koch  when  translated,  is 
Cook. 

These  nine  items  are  substantially  as  the  history  of 
this  wonderful  young  man  lies  in  my  mind.  I  wish  all 


l6  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

ministers  and  missionaries  were  as  able,  as  devoted  and 
successful  as  he  has  been. 

Very  truly  yours, 

O.  O.  HOWARD, 

Major- General,   U.  S.  Army." 


Mr.  Whittemore  further  writes  under  date, 
FLORENCE,  Arizona,  Ter., 
May  22,  1893. 

I  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  Rev.  C.  H. 
Cook,  the  missionary  to  these  Indians  for  five  years, 
and  a  more  devoted  and  conscientious  man  I  have 
never  known. 

His  "call"  from  missionary  work  in  Chicago,  where 
he  was  an  intimate  friend  of  D.  L.  Moody,  was  provu 
dential.  As  you  will  see,  Gen.  Andrew  J.  Alexander, 
an  officer  of  the  United  States  Army,  who  was  here  on 
duty  in  1868,  became  interested  in  the  welfare  of  this 
tribe  and  wrote  an  article  that  was  published  in  the 
New  York  Evangelist,  which  met  the  eye  of  Mr.  Cook, 
and  this  was  the  "  finger  of  Providence  "  that  pointed 
him  to  this  field.  He  "was  not  disobedient  to  the 
heavenly  vision,"  so,  leaving  his  work  there,  he  came 
at  his  own  charges  and  began  here. 

It  was  doubtless  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  those 
ladies  who  were  looking  for  the  man  promised  to  Chief 
Antonio  by  Gen.  Alexander,  that  God  chose,  in  the 
person  of  Brother  Cook,  the  expected  teacher.  He 
was  fitted  by  nature,  education,  and  grace,  for  this,  his 
great  life-work.  His  army  life  of  three  years  or  more, 
prepared  him  for  the  rough  and  isolated  position.  His 
patience,  coolness,  prudence,  honesty,  perseverance  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  17 

consecration,  have  given  also  a  fitness  for  the  work, 
such  as  but  few  men  possess.  His  aim  has  been,  from 
the  first,  to  christianize  parents  and  children,  as  the 
primary  step  toward  civilization  and  citizenship. 

His  efforts  have  met  with  remarkable  success.  He 
is  reaping  where  he  has  sown,  and  the  fruit  already 
gathered  is  but  a  foreshadowing  of  what  must  follow. 
He  loves  the  Indians  and  they  love  him.  What  he  says, 
they  believe.  They  know  him  well.  He  has  studied 
their  character  and  temperament  and  taught  them  by 
precept  and  example,  to  love  God.  A  wonderful  change 
has  been  wrought  in  them,  externally  and  internally. 
The  Indian  nature  has  been  supplanted  by  the  Divine, 
and  the  fighting  principle  is  no  longer  there. 

The  ladies  who  were  the  instruments  in  God's  hand  of 
bringing  him  here,  "wrought  better  than  they  knew.' 
If  they  could  have  seen  these  Indians  as  they  were, 
when  Missionary  Cook  came,  over  twenty  years  since, 
and  see  them  now,  packing  the  chapel  each  Sabbath, 
eager  listeners  to  the  truth,  '  clothed  and  in  their  right 
minds,"  they  would  rejoice  and  thank  God. 

Brother  Cook  is  too  modest  to  tell,  or  have  published, 
the  trials  and  sacrifices  of  his  work.  He  desires  to 
give  God  all  the  glory,  and  keep  self  in  the  background, 
while  he  simply  tells  us  much  of  his  Indians,  and  very 
little  of  himself,  or  the  part  he  has  taken  in  their  eleva 
tion.  We  who  have  known  him  long,  love  him  well. 
If  we  can  induce  others  to  go  and  do  a  similar  work 
for  other  tribes,  our  purpose  in  helping  to  prepare  this 
little  volume  will  be  accomplished. 


CHAPTER  I. 

At  the  request  of  the  Ladies'  Union  Mis 
sion  School  Association,  Mr.  Cook  has  given 
the  following  brief  account  of  his  journey  to 
Arizona  in  1870  and  some  important  events  of 
his  life. 

SACATON,  (PiMA  RESERVATION),  Arizona, 

March  22,  i8q3. 

To  the    Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Ladies'    Union 
Mission  School  Association  / 

DEAR  FRIEND — I  will  now,  in  compliance  with  your 
request,  try  to  give  you  some  account  of  the  history  of 
my  life  and  of  my  coming  to  this  field  of  labor. 

When  but  a  little  child  of  less  than  six  months  of 
age,  I  was  left  both  fatherless  and  motherless. 

"  When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  then 
the  Lord  will  take  me  up."  "  A  father  of  the  fatherless." 
How  thankful  we  ought  to  be  for  such  gracious 
promises  ! 

When  barely  able  to  speak,  both  of  my  grandmothers 
would  not  permit  me  to  go  to  sleep  evenings  without 
praying,  that  the  blood  of  Christ,  God's  Son,  might 
cleanse  me  and  keep  me  from  all  sin.  From  that  time 
forward  I  have  seldom  neglected  to  pray  to  God. 

My  father,  grandfather,  and  great  grandfather  hav 
ing  been  public  school  teachers  in  Germany,  it  was  the 
desire  of  my  grandfather  to  give  me  a  good  education. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  19 

So,  when  len  years  of  age,  I  was  sent  to  a  first-class 
city  school,  high  school  and  seminary.  About  the  time 
of  my  confirmation  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
I  felt  some  of  the  strivings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  also 
some  desire  to  devote  my  life  to  foreign  missions. 

But  some  time  after,  partly  on  account  of  my  great 
esteem  for  one  of  my  professors,  I  was  led,  through 
his  materialistic  teachings,  to  disbelieve  the  Bible  and 
the  Divinity  of  our  Lord  and  my  foolish  heart  was 
darkened. 

Emigrating  to  New  Orleans,  I  worked  for  some  time 
in  a  drug  store,  which  has  since  proved  of  advantage  to 
me.  Being  afterwards  ill-treated  by  a  German,  I  con 
cluded  to  go  to  sea. 

At  this  time  I  prayed  the  Lord  earnestly  to  direct  me. 
This  the  Lord  did  in  a  remarkable  way  and  I  found  a 
situation  on  a  ship.  The  captain,  a  Massachusetts 
man, was  a  noble  Christian  ;  he  treated  me  fully  as  well 
as  though  I  had  been  his  own  son.  This  good  man 
gave  me  tracts,  invited  me  to  attend  the  seamen's 
chapels  and  paid  me  more  at  times,  than  at  first  agreed 
to.  But  what  a  perverse  heart  was  mine  !  I  might  have 
passed  for  a  good  Unitarian  or  a  moral  materialist,  my 
heart  was  a  stranger  to  the  God  to  whom  I  prayed. 

One  evening,  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  I  fell  over 
board  and  the  Lord  graciously  saved  me  from  a  watery 
grave  and  from  dying  the  death  of  an  unbeliever,  but 
this  did  not  turn  me  from  my  wicked  unbelief. 

With  this  captain  I  spent  some  very  happy  years  and 
gained  much  in  health  and  strength  of  body. 

The  captain  then  left  off  going  to  sea,  for  a  while  ; 
sailing  with  the  new  captain  I  did  not  feel  at  home  and 


20  THE    P1MA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

not  long  after,  I  shipped  without  asking  Divine  direc 
tion,  with  the  former  second  mate,  who  was  then  first 
mate  of  another  ship. 

Here  we  received  the  most  outrageous  treatment  and 
the  sailors  were  plotting  to  throw  the  inhuman  captain 
overboard  or  at  least  to  put  him  in  chains  and  keep  him 
in  confinement  until  we  should  reach  Liverpool.  Our 
first  mate,  however,  learning  of  the  plot,  advised  the 
men  to  desist,  as  we  were  nearing  the  Irish  coast  and 
as  it  was  about  the  time  of  the  March  equinoctial 
storms.  We  soon  reached  St.  George's  channel  and 
having  taken  a  pilot  on  board,  we  learned  that  our 
captain  had  won  the  race  with  the  captain  of  the  clipper- 
ship,  Titian.  Then  a  terrific  storm  burst  upon  us  ;  our 
only  safety  was  a  small  harbor  north  of  Liverpool, 
where,  after  the  tide  left  us,  we  found  ourselves  high 
and  dry  on  the  beach.  Most  of  the  sailors  ran  away 
the  first  night.  The  captain  promised  those  of  us  who 
would  remain,  a  handsome  reward  ;  we  stayed,  but  the 
reward  did  not  reach  us. 

On  our  return  voyage  on  another  ship,  our  treatment 
was  better.  Our  first  mate,  the  captain's  son,  often  told 
me  how  happy  he  would  be  if  he  could  only  have  forty 
acres  of  land  in  the  wilderness,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  a 
little  cabin  and  there  earn  his  living.  This  made  a 
deep  and  strange  impression  upon  me.  He  never 
reached  his  home  alive,  and  his  father  had  been  the 
cause  of  his  death.  This  took  away  from  me  all  ambi 
tion  of  ever  becoming  the  captain  and  owner  of  a  fine 
ship. 

The  war  having  broken  out,  I  enlisted  in  Rochester, 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  21 

N.  Y.,  and  while  waiting  to  go  to  the  front,  I  attended 
the  Presbyterian  Brick  Church.  Dr.  Shaw  preached 
on  Christ  cleansing  the  lepers,  -and  on  the  leprosy  of 
heathenism  cleansed  by  Divine  power  through  the 
instrumentality  of  missionaries. 

This  sermon  affected  me  greatly  and  after  joining 
the  battery,  listening  to  the  chaplain  and  seeing  the 
walk  of  some  Christian  fellow  soldiers,  I  was  led  to  the 
Saviour. 

From  that  time  on,  my  army  life,  though  full  of  hard 
ships  and  dangers,  was  a  happy  one.  As  a  No.  I  at  a 
gun  and  shortly  after  as  gunner,  I  was  in  many  a  battle 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  but  I  did  not  receive 
a  scratch. 

At  one  time,  lying  on  my  blankets  close  to  the  Jeru 
salem  plank  road  near  Petersburg,  not  far  from  the 
rebel  lines  and  thinking  of  the  many  lives  sacrificed, 
of  the  many  homes  made  desolate,  of  the  wounded  at 
times  lying  between  the  lines,  suffering  great  agonies, 
the  thought  came  to  me,  how  can  it  be  that  the  Lord 
permits  all  this  ?  I  fell  asleep  and  then  thought  I  could 
see  far  above  the  battle  field,  two  beings,  who  had 
power  to  stop  the  war  at  any  time  and  power  to  pro 
tect  the  life  of  any  single  individual.  This  dream 
greatly  comforted  me,  and  when  some  time  after  we 
ceased  shooting  at  each  other  on  Sundays,  and  we 
could  hear  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  the 
preaching  of  the  chaplains  on  both  sides  of  the  line,  I 
then  thought  that  the  war  would  soon  end. 

How  much  ill-feeling  it  would  have  saved  on  both 
sides  if  we,  like  brave  General  Grant,  had  only  looked 
at  the  great  war  as  a  national  punishment  for  sin. 


22  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

After  the  war  was  over,  I  thought  of  settling  on  a 
farm  in  Illinois,  but  stopped  for  a  while  at  the  home  of 
a  comrade  in  New  York  state.  There  being  no  Pres 
byterian  Church  near,  I  joined  the  M.  E.  Church. 
One  day  I  accidentally  cut  my  foot.  Perhaps  some  of 
my  neighbors  thought,  that  having  come  unhurt  from 
the  war,  vengeance  was  still  following  me. 

After  five  months  I  was  able  to  walk,  though  still 
lame.  I  found  work  in  a  bank  in  Chicago  and  was  led 
afterwards  into  city  mission  work.  I  received  a  good 
salary  ;  the  Lord  prospered  my  work  and  the  outlook 
was  very  promising. 

At  one  time  boarding  near  where  they  were  excava 
ting  the  Washington  street  tunnel,  I  was  sick  with 
diphtheria.  I  had  no  one  to  stay  with  me  and  so  I  was 
alone  most  of  the  time.  The  medicine  did  not  seem  to 
give  relief  and  I  was  rapidly  getting  worse.  I  prayed 
the  Lord  if  pleasing  in  his  sight  that  I  should  die,  that 
He  might  let  me  die  with  some  other  sickness.  But 
my  throat  kept  getting  worse,  I  could  only  breathe 
with  great  difficulty.  I  then  heard  such  heavenly  music 
as  I  never  expect  to  hear  again  in  this  world.  The 
room  seemed  to  be  full  of  heavenly  beings.  I  con 
cluded  that  I  had  died  and  began  to  fear  that  I  might 
get  well  again.  After  a  little  I  could  again  feel  the 
pain  in  my  throat  but  a  few  days  after  I  got  well.  (I 
have  since  learned  that  pure  fresh  air,  an  outward 
appliance  of  sweet  oil  and  croton  oil  mixed,  and  a 
gargle  of  permangenate  of  potash  is  a  good  treatment 
for  diphtheria). 

I  read  the  life  of  David  Brainard  and  often  thought 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  23 

of  him  and  his  Indians.  I  think  it  was  in  1868  or  '69 
I  got  hold  of  a  copy  of  the  New  York  Evangelist.  I 
read  in  it  an  article  from  an  army  officer  about  the 
Pima  Indians  of  Arizona,  and  of  their  great  need  of 
teachers  and  missionaries. 

At  first  I  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  it  and  I  did 
not  ke  p  the  paper.  I  was  thinking  of  preparing 
myself  and  then  to  go  as  missionary  to  China.  But 
from  that  time  forward,  for  a  year  or  more,  the  article 
which  I  had  read  without  much  thought  would  still 
present  itself  to  me. 

When  I  prayed  over  the  matter,  T  would  always  feel 
more  convinced  that  I  ought  to  go  to  the  Pima  Indians. 
In  reading  the  Bible  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  so 
many  passages  in  both  Old  and  New  Testament  refer- 
ing  to  the  sending  of  the  gospel  to  the  heathen. 

I  saw  some  of  my  friends  and  brethren  go  away  to 
India  and  China  with  their  necessary  expenditures  all 
provided  for  and  I  was  glad  of  it.  But  the  M.  E. 
Church  at  that  time  had  no  money  to  spare  for  sending 
the  gospel  to  the  Indians. 

Inquiring  at  Washington  as  to  the  Indian  affairs  in 
Arizona,  I  was  informed  that  things  were  very  un 
settled  in  Arizona  and  that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  go 
forth  on  such  an  enterprise  at  that  time.  The  thought 
then  came  to  me  that  the  same  Lord  who  had  pro 
tected  me  during  the  war  could  also  protect  me  in 
Arizona,  and  as  to  my  temporal  support,  the  same  God 
who  provided  for  George  MuUer's  orphans  must  be  able 
to  provide  for  me,  as  long  as  I  was  willing  to  work. 

On  my  first  journey  to  Arizona  and  often  since,  my 
army  experience  has  been  of  great  help  to  me. 


24  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

September  i,  1870,  with  a  good  supply  of  clothing, 
tent,  blankets,  a  small  melodeon,  a  Winchester  rifle, 
some  groceries  and  a  few  cooking  utensils,  I  left 
Chicago. 

Through  the  kindness  of  a  fellow-laborer  of  the  Epis 
copal  Church,  I  received  railroad  passes  to  Kansas  City 
where  I  stopped  over  Sunday.  Attending  church,  I 
unexpectedly  met  a  former  Chicago  friend,  who  kindly 
invited  me  to  his  house,  and  who  on  Monday  procured 
me  a.  pass  to  Kit  Carson,  so  that  instead  of  being  out 
about  $6.00  for  keeping  the  Sabbath,  I  gained  some 
$15.00  or  more.  As  we  moved  further  west,  towns 
became  few  and  far  between.  On  some  part  of  the 
railroad,  troops  were  stationed  to  protect  the  road  and 
stations  against  hostile  Indians.  At  some  places  we 
could  see  buffaloes  from  the  car  windows. 

Kit  Carson,  Kansas,  my  terminus  on  the  railroad, 
looked  like  a  very  hard  place,  yet  near  by  we  beheld  a 
small  church  and  school  house,  showing  how  quickly 
these  railroads  help  to  move  forward  Christian  civiliza 
tion. 

Upon  inquiry  I  was  told  that  a  mule  train  had  left  a 
little  before  for  Prescott,  Arizona.  So  I  took  the  stage, 
fare  $16.00  or  25  cents  per  mile,  to  Bent's  Fort,  or  trad 
ing  place.  During  the  night  we  saw  a  rainbow  by  moon- 
light. 

At  the  stage  station  I  waited  several  days.  The  Pres 
cott  train  arrived  on  Sunday,  but  some  lady  passengers 
objected  to  having  a  preacher  travel  with  them. 

Mr.  Price,  the  kind  station  keeper  learning  of  my 
errand,  instead  of  charging  me  $15.00,  the  usual  price, 
was  well  satisfied  with  a  few  sermons  instead.  It  also 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  25 

pleased  him  to  join  in  singing  some  of  the  old  familiar 
hymns,  which  he  had  not  heard  for  years. 

Monday  evening  a  Mexican  ox  train  came  along  ; 
the  train  was  not  heavy  loaded,  and  the  wagon-master 
was  willing  to  take  me  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  at  a  reason 
able  rate.  No  one  of  the  Mexicans  could  talk  English, 
so  I  made  good  progress  in  the  Spanish  language. 

We  made  good  time  with  the  ox  train,  traveling  by 
day  and  by  night.  We  soon  overtook  the  Prescott 
train.  The  only  difficulty  which  I  encountered  was 
that  the  Mexicans,  like  most  whites  out  here,  would 
travel  on  Sundays. 

On  our  first  Sunday  evening,  a  Mexican  robber  came 
into  camp.  He  eyed  my  Winchester  rifle  so  sharply 
that  the  wagon-master  noticed  it  and  cautioned  me. 
The  next  day,  late  in  the  evening  he  offered  to  help 
bring  in  the  oxen  for  the  night  journey.  He  then 
imitated  the  howl  of  a  prairie  wolf  to  perfection,  then 
stole  the  wagon-master's  mule  and  pony  and  decamped. 
All  of  this  undoubtedly  would  not  have  happened,  had 
we  not  traveled  on  Sunday. 

Traveling  on  the  next  Sunday  and  camping  in  the 
mountains  near  Los  Vegas,  an  ox  was  stolen  and  after 
the  following  day  we  had  to  wait  three  days  for  the 
wagon-master's  brother,  who  was  to  take  the  train  to 
Santa  Fe. 

Saturday,  Oct.  i. — Just  one  month  from  Chicagor 
We  encamped  about  fifty  miles  from  Santa  Fe.  I  con 
cluded  to  take  a  little  clothing  and  rifle  and  to  walk  on 
ahead  of  the  train,  until  the  stage  should  overtake  me, 
and  then  if  there  was  room,  1  would  go  on  with  it  to 
the  town.  When  the  stage  came  up  to  me,  I  secured 


26  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

passage  and  thus  reached  Santa  Fe,  Saturday  evening. 
Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  gave  me  a  warm  wel 
come.  1  preached  for  the  good  brother  morning  and 
evening,  the  chapel  being  full  each  time.  They  also 
had  a  large  Sunday  school.  Here  I  learned  that  a  good 
Presbyterian  sister  was  already  employed  by  the  church, 
to  labor  among  New  Mexico's  Indians.  The  thought 
came  to  me,  if  a  defenceless  woman  can  live  and  labor 
among  the  savages,  there  ought  to  be  hope  for  a  man 
who  had  seen  war. 

X 

Tuesday  afternoon,  Oct.  4.— Feeling  much  refreshed 
and  after  Mrs.  McFarland  had  supplied  me  with  a  good 
three  days'  lunch,  I  left  Santa  Fe  with  another  ox  train 
for  Albuquerque,  where  we  arrived  Friday,  Oct.  7,  and 
where  I  had  to  stay  until  Nov.  5.  But  this  gave  me 
an  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  and  to  do  other 
kinds  of  missionary  work. 

During  one  Sunday  a  Union  soldier  traveling  with  a 
mule  train  on  that  day,  had  fallen  from  the  wagon  and 
was  killed.  The  government  agent  requested  me  to 
assist  him  in  giving  the  departed  a  decent  burial.  This 
we  did,  with  a  number  of  whites  and  Mexicans  attend 
ing. 

At  Albuquerque,  being  now  not  far  from  the  haunts 
of  the  Apaches,  my  purse  got  so  low  that  I  had  to 
part  with  my  Winchester  rifle. 

The  kind  postmaster,  Mr.  Herner,  a  German  Catho 
lic,  of  whom  I  rented  a  room,  did  not  want  to  see  me 
cook  my  own  meals,  so  he  only  charged  me  $15.00  for 
four  weeks'  board,  instead  of  $10.00  a  week,  the  usual 
rate  at  that  time. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  27 

Nov.  4,  a  large  number  of  recruits  arrived  for  the 
regular  army,  in  charge  of  four  young  officers,  with  one 
officer's  wife.  They  represented  different  church 
denominations,  the  officer  in  charge  being  a  Methodist. 
All  were  glad  to  have  me  travel  with  them  and 
insisted  on  my  sharing  their  mess.  This  I  did  with 
some  misgivings,  having  doubts  as  to  whether  my  purse 
could  stand  the  strain.  This,  however,  subsequently 
proved  to  be  so  light  that  I  did  not  feel  it  at  all.  Here 
I  had  opportunities  to  preach  to  the  soldiers  evenings. 
Camping  some  four  miles  from  Escondida,  I  started 
out  early  one  morning  on  an  errand,  and  with  some 
books  from  an  Albuquerque  friend,  to  the  house  of  a 
Mr.  Baca,  who  had  been  advised  of  my  coming.  He 
could  not  talk  English  but,  greeted  me  in  polite  Spanish, 
"  How  do  you  do,  my  brother  ?  "  He  then  introduced 
me  to  his  excellent  wife  and  grown  up  children,  and 
soon  we  sat  down  to  a  good  breakfast.  I  could  see 
at  once  that  the  brother  was  an  educated  and  polished 
gentleman  as  well  as  a  noble  Christian.  I  asked  him 
how  long  he  had  been  a  Protestant  ;  he  told  me  that  he 
had  been  such  since  boyhood  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 
The  brother  urged  me  to  stop  and  stay  with  him  : 
gladly  would  I  have  done  so.  After  promising  him  to 
do  all  I  could  toward  having  a  preacher  sent  to  him 
and  his  neighborhood,  I  bade  him  and  his  family 
good-bye. 

Thursday,  Nov.  10,  we  arrived  at  Fort  Craig  :  Major 
Coleman  commanding,  I  pitched  my  tent  outside  with 
the  recruits.  But  the  major  although  a  Catholic,  soon 
came  to  me  and  insisted  that  I  should  be  his  guest 
during  my  stay  at  the  fort. 


25  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

On  the  following  Sunday,  I  had  the  privilege  of 
preaching  to  the  infantry  companies  in  the  forenoon, 
and  to  the  cavalry  in  the  evening,  the  major  as  well  as 
the  other  officers  and  their  wives,  attending  both 
meetings. 

Some  of  the  officers  and  recruits  stopped  at  that 
place. 

Tuesday  morning,  a  few  hours  before  starting  again , 
three  Mexican  brethren  from  Peralto  had  come  some 
seventy  miles  or  more,  requesting  me  earnestly  to  go 
back  with  them  and  be  their  preacher.  With  a  nearly 
empty  purse  and  with  about  600  miles  before  me,  this 
was  a  temptation  to  me.  I  told  them  that  I  was  on  my 
way  to  the  Indians,  but  that  it  would  not  be  long  until 
they  could  have  a  Protestant  preacher.  They  then 
requested  me  to  accept  some  nice  apples,  (nearly  a  half 
bushel,)  this  I  did,  and  then  bade  them  God  speed. 

At  Fort  McRae  we  were  kindly  received  by  Captain 
Shorkley  and  others.  Saturday,  November  igth,  we 
arrived  at  Fort  Sheldon.  Captain  Fachet  kindly  enter 
tained  me.  Being  a  Frenchman  and  a  Catholic,  he 
was  afraid  that  the  soldiers  were  too  rough  for  Sunday 
services.  However,  he  attended  three  meetings  and 
was  agreeably  surprised  at  the  good  behavior  of  his 
soldiers. 

November  23  we  arrived  at  Fort  Cummings  ;  here 
Captain  Hedberg,  a  German,  took  care  of  me.  Here 
I  bought  some  groceries  and  the  post-surgeon  kindly 
gave  me  a  little  medicine,  some  bacon  and  tea.  Cash 
on  hand,  25  cents,  with  about  400  miles  of  road  still 
ahead  of  me  ;  this  made  me  feel  a  little  blue  and  I  was 
thinking  of  Christ  feeding  the  five  thousand. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  29 

Arrived  at  the  town  of  Mimbers,  (not  very  far  from 
the  present  Deming,)  November  24.  Here  I  had  to 
bid  farewell  to  my  kind  army  friends.  As  I  had  plenty 
of  good  clothing,  they  probably  thought  that  my  purse 
yet  contained  several  hundreds  of  dollars. 

Having  a  message  to  a  Jewish  firm  from  Albu 
querque,  they  kindly  invited  me  to  make  my  home  with 
them.  After  preaching  in  the  evening,  I  received  sev 
eral  invitations  by  good  sisters  to  stay  at  their  homes, 
or  at  least  to  come  and  eat  with  them  on  the  next  day. 
Providentially  on  the  next  day,  a  Mexican  ox  train  was 
ready  to  start  for  Fort  Bowie.  The  kind  wagon- 
master,  though  heavy  loaded,  was  willing  So  take  my 
baggage  free.  I  persuaded  him  to  keep  my  watch 
chain  until  redeemed.  I  walked  nearly  all  the  time, 
from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  a  day  ;  this,  however,  made 
me  lame  on  the  foot  which  I  had  cut.  Stopping  over 
one  day  not  far  from  a  large  mining  camp,  I  visited  it. 
Upon  inquiry  I  was  told  that  the  men  would  like  to 
have  me  preach  to  them  in  the  evening.  It  being  a 
little  cold  they  had  transformed  a  large  saloon  into  a 
chapel,  all  the  bottles,  etc.,  having  disappeared  behind 
the  counter.  The  place  was  crowded,  the  singing 
demonstrated  that  many  of  the  miners  had  been  at 
church  before.  At  the  close,  one  of  the  men  took  his 
hat  and  said  that  the  service  was  not  complete  without 
a  collection.  I  was  thus  enabled  to  pay  the  freighter 
well  and  still  have  $6.40  on  hand. 

Arrived  at  Fort  Bowie,  Sunday,  December  5,  at 
8  A.  M.  Here  I  met  Captain  Russell.  I  had  once 
fought  side  by  side  with  this  brave  officer,  before  he 


30  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

was  promoted.  He  was  an  Irish  Catholic,  the  son  of 
a  pious  mother,  who^e  prayers,  I  have  no  doubt,  fol 
lowed  her  son  all  his  life.  The  captain  was  very  giad 
to  see  me  and  glad  to  have  me  share  his  quarters  and 
table  for  some  twelve  days  He  would  accompany  me 
Sundays  and  other  evenings,  preaching  to  the  soldiers 
and  in  all  devotional  exercises.  At  times  he  would  tell 
me  of  his  exploits  and  often  narrow  escapes  from  that 
great  warrior,  "  Cochise,"  and  I  would  tell  him  of  my 
exploits  as  city  missionary  at  Chicago,  how  at  times 
some  of  his  zealous  country  women  would  try  and  drive 
me  away  with  a  broomstick,  or  poker,  while  others 
would  invite  me  to  dinner  and  at  times  to  have  prayers 
with  them. 

Dec.  17,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  travel  to  Tucson. 
Capt.  Russell  not  only  supplied  me  with  all  necessary 
rations,  but  also  handed  me  $10,  telling  me  to  take  it,  as 
I  might  need  it.  I  have  since  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  the  captain  at  this  place. 

On  our  way  to  Tucson,  we  were  overtaken  by  a  great 
snowstorm.  When  within  twenty  miles  of  Tucson,  we 
picked  up  two  wounded  Mexican  teamsters  ,  they  had 
been  wounded  and  one  of  their  number  killed  on  Sun 
day  forenoon,  and  their  oxen  had  been  driven  off  by 
Cochise's  warriors,  all  of  which,  likely,  would  not  have 
happened,  had  they  not  traveled  on  Sunday. 

Friday,  Dec.  23,  1870,  I  arrived  at  Pima  Agency, 
with  nearly  as  much  cash  on  hand  as  I  had  when  I  left 
Albuquerque.  Capt.  Grossman,  a  German  and  an  army 
officer,  was  the  agent.  He  a^d  his  noble  Christian 
•;*f  jfe  gave  me  a  hearty  welcome,  The  agent  took  me 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  31 

over  the  reservation,  and  on  Jan  i,  1871,  I  received  an 
appointment  as  goverment  teacher. 

My  health  was  excellent,  and  the  journey,  especially 
that  part  of  it  when  I  had  little  or  no  means  of  my  own, 
through  the  wild  Apache  country,  had  benefited  me 
greatly. 

During  the  time  since  I  had  left  the  railroad,  I  had 
preached  twenty-two  times,  I  had  given  many  other 
addresses,  and  had  many  conversations  with  individuals 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  so  that  the  scanty  provision 
for  my  long  journey  and  my  frequent  straits  turned  out 
"  rather  to  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel."  It  was  not 
until  several  months  after  I  reached  the  agency  at 
Sacaton  that  I  learned  that  there  were  others  beside 
myself,  who  were  anxious  to  have  the  gospel  and  Chris 
tian  civilization  brought  to  a  people,  who  are  perishing 
for  want  of  it.  You  had  been  trying  for  two  years,  to 
find  somebody  to  go  to  these  Indians,  while  I  had  been 
trying  for  that  length  of  time  to  find  an  opportunity 
to  go. 

On  receiving  the  circular,  referring  to  a  mission  to 
the  Pima  Indians — I  read  it  with  the  deepest  interest 
and  felt  like  saying  the  Lord  bless  our  sisters  in  their 
noble  work  and  may  none  of  us  grow  weary  in  well 
doing,  knowing  that  the  promise  is  sure.  "  In  due 
time  ye  shall  reap,  if  ye  faint  not." 

Twenty-five  years  after  the  interview  be 
tween  General  Alexander  and  the  Chief  of  the 
Pimas,  Antonio  Azul,  [to  which  reference  has 
been  made,]  and  to  whom  the  general  gave 


32  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

his  promise  that  teachers  should  be  sent  to 
his  people,  Mr.  Cook  received  a  visit  from 
the  now  aged  chief,  of  which  he  writes  as 

follows  : 

SACATON,  Ariz.,  March  29,  1893. 

Antonio  Azul,  (or  "  Koe  Wadthk,"  Chief  of  the 
Pimas  and  Maricopas,)  has  just  paid  me  a  visit.  He  is 
probably  about  seventy-five  years  of  age.  He  still 
works  his  own  farm,  with  some  grandchildren  assisting 
him.  Among  other  things,  I  asked  him  "  if  he  remem 
bered  an  army  officer  by  the  name  of  General  Alex 
ander  ?"  This  question  seemed  to  have  a  wonderful 
effect  upon  him  and  at  once  seemed  to  bring  before  him 
vividly,  the  scenes  of  the  past.  He  gave  me  quite  a 
piece  of  history,  of  those  early  days  in  Arizona.  Among 
other  things,  he  told  me  something  like  this  :  I  remem 
ber  the  general  very  well  ;  I  remember  his  long  beard  ; 
he  was  a  very,  very  good  man.  (Se,  se,  aw-aw-tam).  I 
was  with  him  on  two  campaigns  in  the  mountain  region, 
back  of  Fort  McDowell.  In  the  first  scout,  after  trav 
eling  mostly  nights,  over  very  difficult  trails  and  steep 
mountains  and  mountain  sides.  We  came  upon  a  camp 
of  Apaches,  engaged  in  a  drunken  feast.  The  Apache 
lookout  saw  us,  but  not  in  time  to  prevent  our  attack 
upon  them,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  to  them  of  nine 
of  their  number,  including  their  chief  warrior. 

In  our  second  expedition  we  were  also  successful  and 
the  Apaches  lost  seven  of  their  band,  besides  some 
who  were  taken  prisoners.  I  captured  a  bright  looking 
boy,  some  twelve  years  of  age. 

The  general  then  requested  me  to  take  good  care  of 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  33 

the  captive, ;  not  to  sell  him  into  slavery  in  Sonora, 
Mexico,  but  to  treat  him  as  one  of  the  family,  to  teach 
him  to  work  and  how  to  earn  a  living  without  stealing 
and  murdering  people  as  the  Apaches  were  doing  ;  and 
above  all  to  see  to  it  that  none  of  the  Pimas  would  harm 
him.  I  promised  the  general  I  would  do  so. 

Some  time  after  this,  a  large  herd  of  Texas  cattle 
passed  through  our  country  on  the  way  to  California. 
Many  of  our  people,  being  hungry,  stole  some  fifty 
head  of  them. 

General  Alexander,  with  a  small  company  of  cavalry, 
came  here  to  look  into  this  matter.  Kiho  Chimkum, 
one  of  our  war-chiefs,  in  a  council,  advised  the  Indians 
that  as  they  were  unable  to  pay  for  the  cattle,  they  had 
better  arm  at  once,  and  fight  the  N.  Y.  troops. 

He  soon  had  some  three  hundred  warriors  ready, 
armed  and  painted  for  war,  with  the  thirty  or  forty  sol 
diers  of  the  general.  After  a  few  days  of  delay  and 
plenty  of  good  advice  from  the  general,  who  told  them 
that  the  U.  S.  Government  only  sought  the  welfare  of 
the  Indians,  and  not  their  destruction  and  my  telling 
them  the  same,  our  people  were  persuaded  to  desist. 

Those  of  us  who  had  been  with  General  Alexander, 
fully  believed  that  whatever  he  would  advise  us,  would 
be  for  our  good.  After  this,  all  our  people  thought  even 
more  of  the  general,  than  before,  and  as  his  name  was 
rather  difficult  for  most  of  us  to  remember  and  to  pro 
nounce,  we  called  him  Chue-wa-oespo  (long  beard). 

Antonio  gave  me  a  detailed  account  of  all  the  inci 
dents  in  the  war  with  the  Apaches.  He,  as  well  as 
many  others  of  his  tribe,  has  lost  many  relatives,  killed 


34  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

by  them.  I  need  not  remind  you  of  the  influence  for 
good  or  evil,  military  men,  as  well  as  civil  officers  and 
employes  of  government  often  exert  upon  the  Indians, 
a  matter  too  often  lost  sight  of.  When  I  kept  school 
here,  Antonio,  who  kept  his  promise  concerning  the 
captive,  sent  him  here  to  attend  school.  Louista,  the 
Apache,  was  one  of  my  best  scholars  ;  a  very  faithful 
worker  and  perfectly  honest  and  reliable.  He  mar 
ried  a  Pima  girl  and  lived  happily  with  her  and  it  was 
a  great  grief  to  him,  as  well  as  to  his  young  wife, 
when  her  father  took  her  away  from  Louista  and  gave 
her  to  a  wicked  trader  for  pay.  Louista,  for  a  long 
time,  felt  very  badly  about  this,  as  also  did  his  young 
wife,  and  after  General  Howard's  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  Apaches  and  Pi  mas,  he  went  to  the  San 
Carlos  Reservation  where  he  married  an  Apache 
woman.  His  children  are  now  attending  a  government 
school  and  Antonio  told  me,  that  Louista,  his  former 
slave,  has  since  his  going  to  the  San  Carlos  Reserva 
tion,  prevented  by  his  wise  counsel,  an  outbreak  of 
the  San  Carlos  Apaches. 

I  once  had  hopes  of  seeing  Louista  become  a  mission 
ary  to  his  people.  Perhaps,  in  his  present  relations  to 
his  tribe,  he  may  be  to  them  now,  a  true  missionary,  a 
messenger  of  peace  and  a  promoter  of  "  good-will  to 
men."  He  has  doubtless  accomplished  for  the  welfare 
of  his  people  far  more  than  we  are  now  aware  of,  and 
all  with  the  blessing  of  God,  through  the  few  kind 
words  spoken  in  his  behalf,  by  General  Alexander. 
Respectfully, 

CHARLES  H.  COOK. 


I  . 
Eg 


l 


4 

^ 


CHAPTER  II. 

MRS.  COOK'S  MISSIONARY  LIFE. 

Mrs.  Chas.  H.  Cook  was  born  at  Berlin, 
Germany,  June,  1854.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Anna  M.  Bath.  Her  mother  was  a  faithful 
and  sincere  Christian.  She  had  been  disin 
herited  for  marrying  a  Protestant,  as  she  was 
brought  up  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
The  parents  of  Miss  Bath,  desirous  of  giving 
her  a  good  education,  sent  her  to  the  Ursuline 
Convent,  one  of  the  best  schools  in  Berlin. 
Here  she  studied  the  common  German 
branches  and  the  French  and  English  lan 
guages.  She  also  learned  to  do  all  kinds  of 
needle  and  fancy  work. 

After  emigrating  to  America,  the  family, 
except  the  mother,  united  with  the  German 
M.  E.  Church,  in  Chicago,  111.  In  July,  1872, 
Miss  Bath  became  my  wife  and  since  that 
time,  with  the  exception  of  three  visits  to  her 
parents,  her  home  was  with  the  Pima  Indians 
of  Arizona. 

In  those  early  days,  travel  out  here  was 
very  expensive,  and  often  tiresome.  We  took 
a  train  from  Chicago  to  San  Francisco,  thence 


36  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

by   steamer   via    Gulf    of    California    to   the 
mouth  of  the  Colorado  river,  and  from  there 
by  a  river-boat  to  Yuma.     From  Yuma  we 
had  to  travel  by  stage   180  miles,  which  took 
fully  two  days  and  nights.     On  our  first  trip 
we  had    a  delightful    time  until  we  reached 
Yuma.     On  our  first  night  out,  we  were  over 
taken    by    a   terrible    thunder   storm,  daring 
which  we  reached  a  small    way-station  near 
midnight.     Here  we  found  a  number  of  Mex 
icans,    drinking,    gambling    and    quarreling, 
At  one  of  these  stations,  a  short  time  previous, 
the  Mexicans  had  killed  a  man,  his  wife  and 
two  children,  and  had  taken  the  stage-horses 
and  other  valuables  to  Sonora,  Mexico.     After 
the  storm  had  passed,  fresh  horses  were  put 
on,  and  we  were  thankful  to  be  on  the  road 
again.     We  reached   the   agency,  as   may  be 
supposed,  tired  and  sleepy.     Mrs.  Stout,  the 
agent's  wife,  had  arrived  a  year  before  and 
thus  we  had  two  white  ladies  for  several  years 
at  this  place.     At  that  time  there  were  prob 
ably  not  more  than  fifty  or  sixty  white  ladies 
in    the    whole    country,    even    including   the 
wives  of  army  officers. 

During  the  first  year,  Mrs.  Cook  was  em 
ployed  by  the  government  as  assistant  teacher. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  37 

Previously,  most,  if  not  all  of  the  sewing  and 
weaving  had  been  done  by  men.  Being  an 
expert  in  dress-making,  &c.,  it  was  not  long 
before  she  had  more  than  thirty  school  girls 
busy  at  work  with  the  needle.  Hencefor 
ward,  for  about  eight  years,  most  of  the  dress- 
cutting  and  much  of  the  sewing,  for  young 
and  old,  was  done  by  Mrs.  Cook.  After  the 
first  year,  however,  having  the  care  of  a  fam 
ily,  she  would  receive  no  more  salary,  though 
she  often  worked  hard,  to  help  in  school  and 
other  work. 

Besides  being  a  loving  and  faithful  wife 
and  devoted  mother,  she  possessed  many  qual 
ities  that  fitted  her  for  her  position.  There 
was  no  such  thing  as  cowardice  in  her  nature. 

While  visiting  our  relatives  one  summer, 
the  agent  neglected  to  send  our  check  when 
due.  The  little  one,  our  first-born  also  not 
being  well,  we  concluded  that  it  was  best  for 
her  to  remain  with  her  parents  and  try  to 
meet  me  at  Yuma  about  Christmas.  All 
went  wel)  with  her  in  the  sleeping-car  and  at 
sea,  she  was  never  troubled  with  sea-sfckness. 
When  I  came  to  Yuma,  the  steamer  did  not 
arrive  on  time.  After  weary  days  of  anxious 
waiting  we  received  news  that  the  steamer 


38  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

was  lost,  but  the  passengers  were  safe  After 
waiting  nearly  four  weeks,  during  which  time 
I  had  ample  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel 
in  Yuma,  and  at  the  Military  Post,  one  even 
ing,  the  river-boat  arrived,  to  our  great  joy, 
bringing  the  passengers  safely.  The  long 
sea-voyage  and  delay  in  the  harbor  of  La  Paz 
had  greatly  benefited  the  health  of  my  wife 
and  baby,  for  which  we  had  been  praying. 
One  of  the  passengers  on  board,  a  good  old 
Irish  lady,  greatly  enjoyed  telling  me  the  next 
morning  of  the  disaster  at  sea.  The  captain 
had  kindly  given  my  wife  and  a  few  others, 
each  a  state  room  on  deck.  Nearing  La  Paz 
late  one  evening,  the  steamer  had  struck  a 
rock,  which  had  caused  a  leak.  The  captain 
told  my  wife  that  there  was  nothing  serious, 
so  she  retired  and  slept  quietly  until  morning. 
The  cabin  passengers  below,  had  sat  up  all 
night  with  life-preservers  on  ;  men,  women 
and  children,  for  eight  long  hours,  awaiting 
the  summons  to  get  into  the  boats.  At 
LaPaz,  the  leak  was  stopped,  but  the  next 
incomfcg  steamer  brought  the  passengers  to 
the  river. 

At  another  time,  when  earning  our  bread 
by  trading  for  a  Mr.  Hayden — a  gentleman 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  39 

well  known  in  Arizona,  and  who  paid  us  well 
for  our  services — for  two  years  we  lived  in  a 
very  lonely,  deserted  place,  about  ten  miles 
from  the  agency.  Here  we  slept  under  a 
tent.  A  large  number  of  coyotes  (prairie 
wolves)  sounded  the  reveille  at  day  break  or 
gave  us  a  nocturnal  concert.  After  opening 
the  store,  a  large  number  of  Indians,  well 
armed,  threatened  to  tie  me  to  a  tree  and  use 
me  as  a  target  for  the  wild  young  Indians,  if 
I  would  not,  within  twenty  four  hours,  con 
cede  to  some  of  their  unreasonable  demands. 
Their  object  was  to  frighten  us  and  make  us 
leave.  But  we  stood  our  ground,  without 
even  a  revolver,  trusting  in  the  Lord.  After 
a  few  more  threats,  the  next  day,  they  kindly 
informefl  me  that  I  might  preach  to  them, 
but  should  not  trade.  I  replied  that  I  would 
comply  with  their  request  if  they  would  pay 
us  enough  so  that  we  could  live.  This  put  a 
new  phase  on  the  subject,  and  soon  after,  we 
were  kept  busy  fron  day-break  until  after 
dark,  taking  in  often  from  30,000  to  45,000 
pounds  of  wheat,  daily.  Shortly  after  this, 
the  Indians  came  on  Sundays  and  asked  me 
to  preach  to  them.  Courage  inspired  confi 
dence.  Mrs.  Cook  never  manifested  fear. 


40  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

but  was  cheerful  and  happy.  But  we  can 
sympathize  with  the  wives  of  many  of  our 
home  missionaries  far  away  from  relatives 
and  church  privileges  in  their  isolated  desert 
or  mountain  homes,  and  with  many  unmarried 
women,  our  Presbyterian  sisters,at  work  teach 
ing  Mexicans  or  Mormons,  in  these  western 
wilds. 

A  German  brother  and  sister,  who  have 
nobly  raised  a  large  family  of  boys  and  girls, 
offered  to  take  care  of  my  children.  One  of 
my  girls  has  since  that  time  voluntarily  made 
her  home  with  them  in  Iowa,  and  enjoys  it 
exceedingly. 

During  the  first  nine  years  of  our  married 
life,  we  drew  no  salary  from  any  missionary 
society.  All  our  wants  were  supplied  and 
sometimes  we  had  abundance.  By  close 
economy,  we  saved  $800,  which  we  invested 
in  land  in  Iowa,  while  it  was  cheap.  It  is  now 
near  a  town  and  railroad,  and  this,  with  a  few 
more  buildings,  will  make  a  home  for  the 
children. 

Twice,  we  were  driven  away  from  here  by 
wicked  agents,  but  they  could  not  drive  away 
Mrs.  Cooks'  courage  ;  which,  at  such  times, 
was  a  great  reliance  to  me. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  4! 

We  often  had  no  physician  within  many 
miles.  At  one  time,  hundreds  of  Indians  had 
the  small-pox.  An  old  Papago  squaw,  full  of 
it,  seeing  our  door  open,  came  into  my  wife's 
room  and  asked  her  for  a  dress.  She  gave  it, 
but  bade  her  not  enter  again  until  she  had 
fully  recovered. 

In  housekeeping  here,  in  those  early  days, 
we  encountered  two  serious  difficulties.  We 
could  send  to  New  York  or  Chicago  for  dry 
goods  and  clothing  and  have  them  sent  by 
mail  or  express  ;  not  so  with  groceries. 

Our  first  cooking-stove,  a  No.  7,  cost  $86. 
Sugar  was  50  cts.  per  lb.;  canned  goods,  75 
cts.  to  $i  ;  coffee,  75  cts.;  potatoes  from  10 
to  20  cts.  per  lb.;  flour,  7  to  12  cts.;  butter, 
$i  to  $1.25  per  lb.,  etc.  And  the  keeping  of 
one  horse  cost  me  nearly  $100  a  year.  We 
kept  a  few  fowls,  but  gardening  was  useless, 
from  lack  of  water.  We  now  have  the  rail 
road  within  fifteen  miles,  and  the  country  is 
settling  up  in  some  places  and  prices  though 
still  high,  are  not  exorbitant. 

Another  serious  difficulty  that  we  encoun 
tered  was  poor  shelter,  especially  in  rainy 
weather. 

I  will  enclose  an  article  from  the  pen  of 


42  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Mrs.  A.  M.  Darley,  who  with  her  husband  has 
been  long  at  work  in  Colorado,  at  present  in 
Pueblo,  where  they  publish  the  Brotherhood, 
in  Spanish  and  English,  occasionally.  Their 
experience  matched  ours  exactly. 

Before  the  railroad  came,  the  freight  on 
lumber  was  15  cts.  a  pound  !  Nearly  all  the 
houses  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  were  then 
built  with  adobes— mud  walls,  roof  and  floor- 
The  roof  was  covered  with  brush  and  a  layer 
of  horse  manure,  mud  and  ashes.  Several 
times  we  had  to  put  up  tents  inside  the  rooms 
to  keep  the  water  off  the  furniture  and  beds. 
While  trading,  we  built  a  large  house  in  the 
above  manner.  A  brother,  Mr.  Irving  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  south  at  Phoenix,  whom  I  had 
met  once  at  a  camp  meeting,  very  kindly  sent 
me  $125,  and  a  Bro.  Baldwin  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  sent  money  and  very  encouraging  let 
ters.  I  have  never  seen  him,  but  hope  to 
meet  him  in  heaven. 

It  was  our  aim  then,  to  make  this  mission 
self-supporting. 

Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  who  had  once  before 
passed  this  way  exploring  in  the  interest  of 
home  missions  called  and  paid  us  a  visit. 
Mrs.  Jackson,  at  this  time  accompanied  him. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  43 

This  good  sister  afterwards  had  a  long  ride 
on  an  engine,  instead  of  the  sleeping  car  and 
when,  crossing  the  Rio  Grande,  there  was 
danger  that  all  would  go  down  in  the  flood, 
some  brave  Pima  and  Papago  boys  jumped 
into  the  river  and  carried  her  safely  over. 
Dr.  Jackson  saw  how  I  had  to  work  six  days 
in  the  week  and  could  not  do  the  necessary 
work  on  Sunday,  and  suggested  the  need  of  a 
better  dwelling  ;  but  the  railroad  was  not  yet 
near  enough  to  bring  lumber  at  prices  within 
reach,  so  as  we  had  ample  room  and  did  not 
wish  to  burden  the  church  board  with  the 
expense  of  a  shingle  roof,  it  was  postponed. 

But  alas  !  here  was  our  mistake,  for  it  cost 
me  the  loss  of  my  dear  wife  !  Some  years 
later  we  had  a  long  rainy  spell  and  one  of 
our  boys,  about  eight  years  old,  who  had  not 
seen  a  sick  day  from  the  time  he  was  born, 
sickened  and  died.  He  trusted  in  the  Saviour, 
whom  he  had  learned  to  love  and  obey.  Two 
daughters  and  myself  were  also  sick,  but 
recovered. 

In  May,  1889,  the  new  Presbytery  of  Ari 
zona  very  kindly  elected  me  as  commissioner 
to  the  general  assembly  in  New  York  city.  I 
requested  my  wife  to  go  with  me  to  Iowa, 


44  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

and  I  would  come  for  her  and  the  children 
later,  feeling  assured  that  she  needed  rest. 
But  our  good  mother  had  quietly  fallen 
asleep  without  any  previous  illness,  in  her  j2d 
year,  some  time  before.  On  this  account, 
my  wife  said  she  would  not  feel  at  home  in 
Iowa  without  me,  and  would  rather  wait 
another  year.  Her  parents  and  brother  had 
removed  from  Chicago  to  Iowa  in  1878.  In 
the  early  winter  of  1889,  we  had  a  long  spell 
of  rainy  weather  and  the  house  leaked  badly. 
As  a  result  two  of  our  children  were  sick,  but 
recovered.  My  wife  became  sick,  but  did 
not  seem  very  ill.  I  had  bought  a  sewing 
machine  and  brought  it  home,  and  she 
remarked  that  it  ought  to  be  a  means  of  help 
ing  her  over  her  sickness.  But  the  rain 
increased  and  so  did  her  fever.  The  agency 
physician  treated  her  disease,  but  for  six  days 
she  ate  nothing.  The  fever  then  left  her, 
her  appetite  returned,  but  her  strength  rap 
idly  failed,  and  late  in  the  evening  of  Decem 
ber  18,  1889,  she  breathed  her  last,  leaving  a 
husband  and  seven  children  to  mourn  her 
loss.  The  baby  had  been  weaned  about  a 
month  before  her  departure.  She  thus  laid 
down  her  work  when  it  seemed  to  us  and  to 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  45 

the  Indians,  who  loved  and  respected  her, 
that  she  was  most  needed. 

Our  eldest  daughter,  then  but  little  over 
fourteen  years  of  age  has  since  that  time 
done  her  best  to  fill  the  place  made  vacant  by 
her  mother's  death. 

We  have  now,  thanks  to  our  Home  Board 
and  a  gift  from  Gen.  Townsend,  a  good  par 
sonage  and  we  hope  the  time  will  soon  come 
when  all  our  home  missionaries  and  workers 
in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  in  this  vast  west 
ern  country,  will  have  a  good  roof  on  their 
dwellings." 


In  the  experience  of  our  devoted  mission 
aries  we  have  been  reminded  of  the  "  Mis 
sionary  Poem,"  which  deeply  affected  our 
hearts,  when  sent  to  us  by  a  friend  interested 
in  the  cause  of  missions  and  who  sympathized 
in  the  trials  and  sorrows  of  the  missionary's 
wife. 

'  '  Mine  own  !'  he  said  and  clasped  her  hand 

Her  faithful  hand  within  his  own, 
'  I  cannot  bear  this  weary  land 

This  labor  all  in  vain.  *         *         *          * 

Come,  we'll  return  ;    the  hind  refrains  to  sow 

Where  nothing  springs  to  reap  ; 

We  will  return  to  blither  plains 

Of  corn  and  trees  and  sheep  ; 


46  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

For  mine  own  fatherland  I  sigh, 
If  but  to  breathe  its  air  and  die.' 
So,  while  he  mourned — a  sudden  change 
Crimsoned  her  cheek  and  fired  her  eye  ; 
In  boldness,  to  herself  most  strange 
Spoke  out  in  her  reply  : 
'  Cheer  thee,  my  faithful  !     Keep  thy  trust 
In  one  above,  the  just — the  wise  ; 
Who,  though  He  knows  us,  frail  as  dust, 
Our  faith  and  courage  tries. 
Our  friends  are  far — but  God  is  near, 
Aye,  to  this  land  of  gloom  and  fear  ! 
I  too,  have  wrestled  with  despair 
And  weeping,  yearned  to  live  and  die 
Within  some  Christian  dwelling  fair 
Of  my  sweet  Germany  ! 
But  it  hath  passed  and  I  am  strong  ; 
The  Lord,  who  sent  us  here  to  toil 
Can  build  the  shrine  and  wake  the  song 
On  this  unthankful  soil  ; 
And  bow  the  heathen  heart  of  stone 

To  worship  at  His  lofty  throne.' 
*         ****** 

She  spoke  with  such  a  beaming  eye, 

And  such  a  mild  benignant  brow, 

As  angels,  coming  from  on  high 

To  comfort  earth  below. 

Her  sweet  words  fell  like  heavenly  dew, 

Upon  the  pastor's  heart  of  care, 

And  side  by  side,  to  God  anew, 

They  bowed  themselves  in  prayer  : 

More  sweet  to  see 

Were  none  that  night  in  Germany/' 


A  PIMA  VILLAGE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MR.  COOK'S  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  VISIT   HE   RECEIVED 
FROM  REV.  SHELDON  JACKSON,  D.  D. 

It  was  in  the  seventies  when  we  first  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  Rev.  Sheldon  Jack 
son,  D.  D.  He  was  making  the  rounds  of 
his  great  parish,  bounded  at  that  time,  I  be 
lieve,  by  Nebraska,  Kansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory  on  the  east,  and  California  on  the 
west.  And  what  a  great  parish  that  was  : 
greater  in  extent  and  in  many  places,  no  doubt, 
more  difficult  to  travel  through  than  the  old 
parish  of  Brother  Paul. 

Here  were  the  oldest  settlers  in  the  United 
States,  speaking  many  different  languages, 
some  of  them  hard  to  be  understood.  Some 
of  these  tribes  made  travel  through  their 
countries  anything  but  safe. 

Here  were  also  the  Mexicans  and  Mormons, 
miners  and  prospectors  and  a  grand  army  from 
the  east,  marching  as  it  were,  ahead  of  the  . 
advancing    railroads,    to    occupy    the    great 
Rocky  Mountain  region. 

Here  not  far  from  the  great  Pike's  Peak, 
our  brother  with  his  wife  and  children,  set 


48  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

up  the  banner  of  the  cross.  From  thence 
they  sent  forth  the  Rocky  Mountain  Presby 
terian,  and  often  while  the  good  sister  held 
the  fort  at  home,  the  brother  was  absent, 
exploring  the  country  and  preaching  the  gos 
pel.  Not  in  a  Pullman  palace  car,  however, 
but  mostly  in  some  frontier  stage-coach  or  on 
horse-back,  or  on  foot  over  mountains  and 
valleys,  or  through  deserts,  or  the  snows  of 
the  rockies,  or  in  the  burning  sands  of  some 
desert. 

It  was  on  one  such  journey  that  the  brother 
stopped  at  a  little  stage  station  a  mile  east  of 
the  Pima  Agency. 

After  resting  a  little  he  paid  us  a  visit,  which 
resulted  in  a  friendly  chat  on  Indian  matters 
and  a  prayer-meeting  Never  shall  I  forget 
that  visit  ;  it  reminded  me  of  a  General  visit 
ing  the  soldier  on  picket,  and  encouraging 
him  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty. 

Some  time  after,  Dr.  Jackson  when  in  New 
York,  urged  the  brethren  of  the  M.  E.  Mis 
sionary  Society  to  establish  a  mission  among 
the  Pima  and  Papago  Indians  of  Arizona. 
Finding  that  the  M.  E.  Church  was  not  pre 
pared  and  unable  to  occupy  this  field,  he  con 
cluded  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  ought 
to  do  something  for  these  8,000  Indians. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  49 

In  the  winter  of  1880-1881,  Dr.  Jackson 
again  visited  this  field  in  company  with  Mrs. 
Jackson.  The  good  sister  stayed  here  while 
the  brother  explored  the  surrounding  region. 

We  were  at  that  time  trading  for  the  Hon. 
C.  T.  Hayden  of  Tempe,  Arizona,  who  paid 
us  a  good  salary ;  but  we  were  only  able  to 
give  our  Sundays  to  the  preaching  of  the  gos 
pel  to  the  Indians. 

We  requested  Dr.  Jackson  to  send  us  a 
good  young  missionary,  one  willing  to  devote 
his  life  to  the  work. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  brother  having  pre 
viously  informed  himself  as  to  our  standing 
in  the  M.  E.  Church  and  as  to  our  orthodoxy, 
felt  persuaded  that  it  was  our  duty  to  join 
his  church  and  so  become  their  missionary 
for  these  Indians. 

We  felt  a  little  loth  to  part  company  with 
very  many  M.  E.  Church  brethren  whom  we 
loved  and  highly  esteemed  ;  we  also  remem 
bered  that  we  owed  our  conversion  under 
God  to  good  Dr.  Shaw,  a  Presbyterian,  and 
believing  it  to  be  the  Lord's  will,  we  con 
cluded  to  brave  any  criticism  or  odium  which 
such  change  might  produce. 


50  THE    P1MA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

We  found  a  warm  welcome  in  the  Presby 
terian  Church,  which  in  reality  had  been  the 
church  of  our  first  choice. 

We  hope,  and  have  good  reason  to  believe, 
that  if  Dr.  Jackson  will  pay  us  a  third  visit, 
he  will  find  the  Pima  Presbyterian  Church 
the  strongest  church  numerically,  at  least,  in 
Arizona. 

There  have  been  and  still  are  many  great 
and  good  men  at  work  in  this  great  Rocky 
Mountain  region,  but  we  sincerely  believe  that 
Dr.  Jackson  has  done  more  for  the  Whites, 
Mexicans,  Mormons  and  Indians,  than  any 
other  man. 


TJIK  GIANT  CACTUS  OF  ARIZONA. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PIMA  INDIANS,  THEIR  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS, 
BY  REV.  ISAAC  T.  WHITTEMORE. 

Many  years  ago,  tradition  gives  it  350,  the 
Pimas,  Papagoes,  Qua-hadtks,  Jofe-qua-atams 
(Rabbit- eaters)  and  other  branches,  all  des 
ignated  by  the  common  Indian  name,  Aw-aw- 
tam,  came  here  from  the  east,  driving  away 
the  inhabitants,  supposed  to  have  been  the 
Zunis'  or  Moquis',  and  took  possession  of 
the  country.  The  Pimas  then  were  very 
numerous  and  occupied  all  the  country,  in 
cluding  the  present  Sacaton  reservation  and 
the  Salt  river  valley,  where  Phoenix,  the  capi 
tal,  temple  and  other  places  are  now.  For 
some  reason,  a  part  of  the  tribe,  since  called 
Towa'na-aw-aw-tem  (Papagoes)  settled  on  the 
desert  of  southwestern  Arizona  ;  only  the 
Pima's  remained  in  the  Gila  valley. 

The  Papagoes  hunted  the  mountain  sheep 
and  deer,  and  lived  where  they  could  raise 
crops  when  the  spring  or  summer  rains  were 
difficult  for  that  purpose. 

Why  they  left  is  unknown,  probably  be 
cause  a  branch  of  the  Apaches  who  were 


52  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

war-like,  lived  just  across  the  Gila,  on  the 
north.  Only  the  Pimas  remain  in  the  Gila 
valley.  A  little  over  100  years  ago,  nearly 
all  the  Pima  Indians,  numbering  about  4,000, 
resided  within  a  radius  of  about  seven  miles 
of  what  is  now  called  Casa-Blanca,  (white 
house),  twenty  five  miles  west  of  the  Ruin  of 
Casa-Grande,  in  seven  villages,  or  eleven 
miles  west  of  the  agency.  Here  they  raised 
cotton,  corn,  melons  and  pumpkins  and  a 
small  round  seed  which  they  ground  and 
boiled  as  mush. 

Their  mill  was  a  stone  twenty  inches  long, 
one  foot  wide,  hollowed  out  a  little,  and  an 
upper  stone,  ten  or  twelve  inches  long,  weigh 
ing  fifteen  or  twenty  pounds.  The  squaws 
did  all  the  grinding  by  rubbing  the  upper 
stone  on  the  seed  in  the  hollow  of  "  the 
nether  mill-stone."  The  cotton  was  raised 
by  the  Pimas,  spun  and  woven  into  cloth  of 
various  widths,  and  also  into  rude  blankets. 
This  cloth,  aside  from  what  they  wore,  was 
their  "stock  in  trade,"  with  the  Colorado 
Indians,  200  miles  west,  and  afterwards  with 
the  Mexicans,  on  the  south.  It  was  usually 
spun  and  woven  by  certain  men  of  the  tribe. 
As  they  had  small  canals  for  iriig  ation,  their 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  53 

fields  were  small,  averaging  not  more  than  an 
acre,  or  one  and  a  half  to  the  family.  They 
were  still  under  the  shadow  of  the  "stone 
age."  They  had  neither  horses  nor  cattle, 
nor  any  implements  of  iron.  Their  tools 
were  simply  stone  axes,  and  a  few  articles  of 
wood,  dressed  by  those  axes  and  the  fire. 
From  the  Mexicans,  afterwards,  they  traded 
their  cloth  for  axes,  adzes,  and  a  small  brush- 
hook,  which  they  used  instead  of  a  spade. 
These  were  all  made  in  the  most  primitive 
manner,  and  contained  little,  or  no  steel. 

They  had  no  pails  or  vessels  of  wood,  but 
were  not  slow  to  invent.  They  therefore  took 
willows,  which  grow  in  abundance  along  the 
river,  and  a  weed,  and  stripped  the  bark,  then 
very  adroitly  split  these  with  their  teeth,  and 
wove  these  so  closely  together  as  to  hold 
water.  This  they  accomplished  by  means  of 
needles  or  thorns  of  the  cactus,  of  which 
there  are  over  one  hundred  varieties  in  this 
territory. 

They  used  these  baskets  while  digging 
small  ditches,  the  women  filling  them  with 
earth  and  carrying  them  up  the  bank.  The 
grain,  or  seed,  was  planted  in  rows  ;  a  hole 
was  made  in  the  ground  with  a  stick,  and 


54  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

covered  with  the  foot,  just  as  did  the  Egyp 
tians  many  thousand  years  ago. 

The  principal  article  of  food,  was  the  bean 
of  the  mesquite,  which  still  grows  abundantly 
all  over  the  desert.  They  grow  in  a  pod, 
somewhat  like  the  "carob,"  the  husks,  out  of 
which  the  prodigal  son  tried  so  hard,  but  in 
vain,  to  get  a  little  nourishment.  The  day 
that  ushered  in  the  gathering  of  these  beans 
was  a  happy  event. 

Large  parties  started  out  leaving  the  aged 
and  the  little  ones  at  home,  taking  with  them 
large  jars  made  of  clay,  or  gourds,  filled  with 
water,the  women  carrying  them  on  their  heads. 

These  "  Kihos  "  they  fill  with  the  beans, 
which  they  gather,  storing  it  here  and  there, 
and  covering  with  thorn-brush  in  such  a  way 
that  the  prairie-wolves  or  coyotes  could  not 
steal  it  until  they  could  bring  it  home  as 
needed.  These  beans  were  not  ground  but 
pounded,  in  a  mortar  made  from  a  piece  of 
mesquite  tree,  which  is  very  hard  by  burning 
a  hole  in  it  and  then  inserting  it  in  the  ground. 
The  stone  pestle  was  16  or  18  inches  long,  and 
weighed  often  20  pounds.  With  this  the 
women  crushed  the  beans  very  fine,  then  sep 
arated  the  seeds,  which  are  indigestible  ;  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  55 

from  the  remaining  pulp,  they  made  large 
cakes,  containing  saccharine  matter  that  re 
mained  sweet  a  year.  They  boiled  them  and 
with  the  syrup,  made  a  dumpling.  Another 
article  of  food  was  the  fruit  of  the  "  Suhuarro," 
or  giant  cactus.  It  grows  plentifully,  still,  in 
patches  on  the  desert  an*d  far  up  on  the  moun 
tains,  attaining  a  height  of  20  to  30  or  more 
feet  The  fruit  grows  on  the  top  and  is  gath 
ered  dexterously  by  the  Indians  with  poles — 
a  small  hook  of  wood  fastened  on  the  head,  to 
bring  it  to  the  ground.  Part  of  this  fruit  they 
ate  when  ripe,  and  the  rest  they  dried  in  the 
sun,  or  boiled  down  to  a  jam,  and  stored  away 
in  small  earthen  jars  hermetically  sealed,  a 
foot  or  two  under  ground— except  a  certain 
quantity,  which,  alas  !  they  mixed  with  water 
and  allowed  to  ferment,  and  boiled  until  its 
intoxicating  qualities  were  seen  in  a  general 
intoxication. 

All  contributed  and  brought  it  to  the  chief 
or  medicine  men,  when  an  orgie  on  a  large 
scale,  was  inaugurated.  All  dressed  in  their 
best,  the  women  sitting  or  standing  on  the  top 
of  their  huts,  from  ten  to  twenty  huddled 
together  for  safety,  and  the  feast  is  kept  up 
until  universal  intoxication  ensues  ;  and  one 
or  more  are  often  killed. 


56  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Of  such  feasts  they  generally  had  several 
each  year,  except  occasionally  when  the  cac 
tus  fruit  failed. 

Rabbits  were  hunted  with  bows  and  arrows. 
Caterpillars,  which  some  years  in  the  spring 
are  plentiful,  were  also  gathered  in  large 
quantities.  They  were  thrown  into  boiling 
water,  soon  taken  out,  salted  a  little  and  eaten. 

Formerly,  there  were  some  deer  and  moun 
tain  sheep  in  this  vicinity,  but  the  latter  are 
nearly  extinct,  and  in  hunting  them  there  was 
danger  of  trespassing  on  the  hunting-grounds 
of  the  war  like  Apaches. 

Fish  were  caught  in  the  Gila  with  the  hand, 
then  a  stick  was  driven  through  their  gills 
and  bodies.  The  sticks  were  then  set  in  the 
ground  around  a  small  fire,  and  thus  nicely 
roasted,  were  eaten  on  the  spot. 

Often,  the  Indians  were  very  hungry,  espe 
cially  in  the  spring,  and  they  were  then  glad 
to  get  one  meal  a  day. 

The  huts  of  the  Pimas  were  made  by  using 
four  stout  posts,  7  long,  of  mesquite,  forked 
and  set  two  feet  in  the  ground.  On  these  were 
laid  two  principal  rafters,  round  and  across 
these,  eight  or  ten  smaller.  Over  these,  like 
an  inverted  basket,  the  tops  fastened  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  57 

bent  to  fit,  were  long  poles,  brushy  top,  the 
buts  outside  and  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  the 
whole  overlaid  with  a  layer  of  clay.  Such  a 
roof  sheds  water  and  is  so  strong  that  twenty 
persons  could  stand  on  it  in  safety,  in  a  dry 
season.  These  huts  were  mostly  circular  out 
side,  and  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
diameter,  and  capable  of  containing  eight 
persons.  No  ventilation  at  top,  but  furnished 
by  a  doorway  in  the  east  usually,  about  two 
feet  wide  and  two  feet  eight  inches  high. 
The  air  draws  in  toward  the  center,  where 
the  fire  was  made  on  the  ground.  The  smoke 
arose  and  was  drawn  out  by  the  heated  cur 
rent,  at  the  top  of  the  entrance.  The  huts 
were,  as  I  have  said,  merely  sleeping- places. 
They  lived  in  them  only  in  stormy  weather, 
for  they  were  but  five  feet  high  inside,  so 
they  could  not  stand  erect.  These  huts  lasted 
many  years,  but  if  a  member  of  the  family 
died,  the  hut  was  burned. 

Previous  to  1878,  all  the  Pimas  lived  in 
winter,  or  during  cold  weather,  in  what  they 
called  Keahim  or  villages  of  from  one  hun 
dred  to  six  hundred  people  ;  and  these  huts 
were  called  Kih's  (pronounced  key.)  They 
resembled  an  old-style  bee -hive  or  bake-oven. 


58  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Some  of  them  were  much  larger  than  those 
already  described  and  elliptical  in  form  and 
used  as  a  council  house. 

Mr.  Cook  says  he  has  preached  in  the 
smaller  ones.  "  How  did  you  stand?"  "  I 
sat"  he  replied,  "  and  when  the  smoke  was 
too  dense,  turned  my  head  !  " 

Usually,  however,  he  sat  outside — except 
when  in  the  summer,  the  mercury  arose  to 
120  degrees  fahrenheit — with  a  shade  of 
brush,  with  his  Indian  congregation  sitting  on 
the  ground  in  a  circle. 

They  listened  patiently  as  he  preached  in 
their  native  tongue,  in  which  he  speaks,  thinks, 
and  writes,  more  naturally  now,  than  in  his 
own  native  German  or  English. 

In  the  winter,  in  the  center  of  each  hut,  a 
fire  was  built  and  kept  burning  all  night,  one 
member  of  the  family  occasionally  stirring 
and  renewing  wood,  as  necessary. 

They  slept  on  mats  which  they  made,  and 
their  covering  was  a  blanket,  and  so  warm 
were  the  huts  and  the  winter  so  mild,  that 
nothing  was  needed  to  keep  them  comfortable. 
All  the  furniture  consisted  of  mats,  ollas, 
(earthen  jars)  and  a  few  earthen  dishes  ;  the 
former  holding  two  or  three  pails  of  water 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  59 

and  a  few  gourds.  Many  of  the  huts  were 
kept  so  neatly  as  to  astonish  one. 

The  Pimas  had  one  principal  chief  with  one 
or  more  sub  chiefs,  to  each  village.  These 
were  chosen  usually  for  their  bravery  in  war 
and  influence  at  home  and  were  their  leaders 
in  wars  and  settled  disputes  in  villages  and 
families.  At  present,  they  have  but  little 
authority.  Some  of  the  old  warriors  are  badly 
scarred  from  encounters  with  the  Apaches, 
and  these  are  much  respected  by  the  young, 
who  listen  in  the  village  council  house  to  their 
winter  evening  tales  of  former  exploits 

Antonio  Azul,  the  present  head  chief,  as 
well  as  his  father  before  him,  was  a  great 
warrior  and  both  were  always  friends  of  the 
white  man  and  progressive  in  their  views. 

Many  years  ago,  when  some  of  the  evil 
disposed  urged  war  with  the  whites,  these 
chiefs  took  a  firm  stand  against  such  folly. 
The  others  knew  but  little  of  the  strength, 
prowess  and  resources  of  the  whites  and 
Mexicans  ;  but  concluded,  however,  that  they 
had  had  enough  to  do  with  the  Apaches, 
without  embroiling  themselves  in  wars  with 
either  Mexicans  or  whites  ;  thus,  consider 
ing  "  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor." 


60  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

They  bury  their  dead  in  a  sitting  posture, 
six  feet  below  ground,  as  do  so  many  Indian 
tribes. 

Mr.  Cook  says,  "  Not  very  long  ago,  the 
cattle  and  horses,  belonging  to  a  deceased 
person,  if  a  husband,  were  killed  and  eaten 
by  the  mourners  and  neighbors,  except  such 
as  were  given  by  him  to  the  heirs  in  the  fam 
ily,  and  other  possessions,  including  even 
wheat  and  other  food  were  burned  with  the 
house. 

The  bereaved  relatives  consequently  had 
nothing  left  at  times,  on  which  to  live,  until 
next  harvest,  unless  friends  came  to  their  relief. 

Mourning  for  a  child  and  relatives  of  distant 
consanguinity  usually  lasted  a  month.  If  a 
child  died  early  in  the  morning  or  late  in  the 
evening,  the  mourners  went  a  little  distance 
from  the  village  and  you  could  hear  their 
plaintive  cry,  My  child  !  oh  !  my  child  ! 

If  a  husband,  or  wife  died,  mourning  lasted 
six  months  or  a  year.  After  this  the  name  of 
the  departed  ones  must  never  be  mentioned, 
and  everything  relating  to  them,  appear  for 
gotten.  The  women  wore  sack-cloth  as  did 
the  Jews  for  the  memory  of  the  departed." 

"  The  only  thing  "  says  the  missionary,  "that 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  6 1 

I  have  found,  showing  the  least  conception  of 
their  belief  in  a  future  existence,  was  that  the 
mother  prepared  food  and  scattered  it  to  the 
winds,  with  some  evident  hope  that  the  depart 
ed  might  thereby  find  something  to  eat." 
He  says  farther  and  what  seems  strange  and 
incongruous,  "  I  once  saw  a  party  of  Indians 
going  to  a  funeral  as  joyful  as  if  going  to  a 
dance.  On  inquiring  where  they  were  going, 
they  replied  to  a  funeral  to  eat  beef." 
•  At  the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  these 
natives  wore  only  a  breech-cloth  around  the 
loins,  except  the  girls,  who  wore  an  apron. 
In  winter,  the  men  had  a  long  shirt,  similar 
to  the  Chinese  blouse.  Women  over  twelve 
years  added  a  chemise  or  skirt  tied  around 
the  waist.  Unlike  the  Indians  in  the  cold 
north,  in  the  days  when  buffaloes  roamed  in 
vast  herds  and  who  clothed  themselves  in 
warm  robes,  these  needed  very  little  cover 
ing  in  winter,  and  like  all  heathen,  were 
indifferent  to  the  exposure  of  their  person. 

Their  shoes  were  simply  buckskin.  They 
usually  went  barefoot,  ex.cept  when  travelling. 
The  men  wore  their  hair  longer  than  the 
women,  dressing  it  with  mud  and  gum  made 
from  the  mesquite  tree.  They  wore  this  dur- 


62  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

ing  the  night  and  washed  it  off  in  the  morn 
ing.  The  women  wore  their  hair  cut  short 
over  their  eyebrows  in  a  "bang."  The  hair 
dressing  just  named,  gave  the  hair  a  black 
and  glossy  appearance,  and  it  was  also  a  good 
dye. 

If  one  is  sick,  he  sends  for  the  medicine 
man,  often  to  a  distant  village.  He  comes 
with  great  pomp,  long  eagle  feathers,  and  rat 
tle  in  hand,  of  which  he  makes  good  use.  If 
he  is  on  horseback,  which  is  usually  the  case,' 
his  horse  is  taken  as  he  dismounts,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  his  appetite  is  appeased,  and 
he  goes  at  his  work  with  the  patient.  A 
paper  of  the  indispensable  tobacco  is  fur 
nished.  He  has  no  pills  nor  powders,  no  cal 
omel  or  morphine,  not  even  a  saddlebag. 
He  spends  the  night  smoking  his  cigarettes 
blowing  the  whiffs  in  the  face  of  his  patient, 
sings  weird  songs,  rattling  and  fanning  to 
blow  away  the  devils  that  caused  the  sickness. 

For  certain  pains,  the  patient  was  scarified 
with  broken  glass  or  sharp  stones.  An 
instance  of  this  kind  is  as  follows  :  A  woman 
had  sprained  her  ankle.  She  then  washed  it, 
sat  down,  broke  several  pieces  from  a  glass 
bottle  and  cut  the  flesh  till  the  blood  ran  in 
many  places  ana!  then  went  about  her  business. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  63 

Another  case  was  that  of  a  girl,  who  was 
taken  sick  while  attending  a  school.  She  was 
taken  to  Maricopa  to  a  doctor  and  died  the 
next  day.  It  was  ascertained  afterwards  that 
these  Maricopa  doctors,  (sorcerers)  when  it 
was  the  wish  of  the  relatives,  or  when  recovery 
was  doubtful,  took  a  club  and  killed  the 
patient. 

Rabbit-hunting  was  formerly  one  of  their 
modes  of  killing  the  witch  that,  caused  the 
sickness  which  was  supposed  to  reside  in  a 
certain  rabbit. 

On  learning  that  Missionary  Cook  taught 
differently  and  damaged  their  reputation  for 
destroying  the  witches,  they  retaliated  by 
arranging  to  have  the  hunt  many  times  on 
Sunday,  and  thus  draw  largely  from  his  con 
gregation.  Ever  since  the  missionary  began 
work  here,  these  medicine  men  have  been  an 
annoyance  and  hindrance  to  his  work,  but 
they  have  invariably  turned  out  badly. 

There  is  but  little  doubt  that  if  all  the 
facts  could  be  known,  many  of  the  murders 
of  whites  by  the  Apaches,  and  other  tribes 
and  wars  and  depredations  in  this  territory, 
could  be  traced  to  the  instigation  of  these 
medicine  men.  They  are  one  of  the  most 


64  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

dangerous  elements  with  which  government, 
especially  the  Indian  department,  has  tp  con 
tend.  They  are  ambitious,  artful,  and  unscru 
pulous,  and  in  this  vicinity  have  done  more  to 
destroy  the  efforts  of  Indian  agents  to  im 
prove  the  condition  of  the  Indian,  both  in 
school-work  and  their  moral  elevation,  than 
all  other  undermining  and  checking  influences 
combined.  Nearly  all  are  low,  vulgar,  licen 
tious,  and  dishonest,  and  spare  no  pains  to 
keep  the  tribe  from  every  good  and  honorable 
work.  The  Indians  crave  excitement  and 
amusement.  Since  the  hunt  and  chase  are 
things  of  the  past,  a  substitute  of  some  kind 
is  required. 

One  of  the  amusements  of  the  women,  was 
that  of  tossing  balls.  They  had  two  small 
ones  covered  with  buckskin,  and  tied  about 
six  inches  apart.  Young  women  and  married 
from  thirty  to  seventy-five  in  a  group,  assem 
bled  dressed  as  for  a  ball,  their  hair  carefully 
manipulated  so  as  to  be  black  and  glossy. 
Each  had  a  stick  of  willow,  six  feet  long. 
With  these  they  dexterously  tossed  the  balls 
high  in  the  air,  running  after  them  until  one 
party  was  so  weary  that  they  gave  up  the 
game  from  mere  exhaustion. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  65 

In  order  to  make  the  excitement  a  success, 
they  had  certain  active  women,  keen  of  wit, 
and  quick  of  action,  practice  weeks  in  advance. 
This  muscular  play,  in  addition  to  other  work, 
developed  strong  muscular  action  and  healthy 
bodies,  gave  the  women  a  better  constitution 
than  the  men  ;  the  latter,  sometimes  dying 
from  debility,  and  consumption. 

The  men  were  addicted  to  gambling. 
From  two  to  eight  sat  on  the  ground  from 
half  a  day  to  a  whole  day  at  the  game.  They 
had  a  flat  stone  about  four  inches  in  diameter 
and  four  flat  pieces  of  wood,  eight  inches  long 
and  one  wide.  With  this  stone  in  one  hand 
and  four  sticks  held  together,  each  of  which 
had  certain  marks  on  two  surfaces,  no  two 
alike,  they  hit  the  sticks  with  the  stone,  knock 
ing  high  in  air,  and  as  they  fell  into  the  cen 
tre  of  the  circle  around  which  they  sat,  the 
marks  were  counted,  and  scored  and  credit 
given  to  the  winning  side  of  each  game.  The 
party  that  lost  gave  so  many  little  sticks  to 
the  winning  side.  The  stakes  were  valuable, 
worth  from  one  dollar  to  fifty  ;  sometimes  a 
horse  or  pony,  a  steer  or  cow. 

Foot   races  were   of  common   occurrence. 
Sometimes  between  two  villages,  or  a  num- 


66  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

her.  The  grounds  were  prepared,  every 
obstruction  removed  for  a  space  1,000  yards 
long,  and  a  rod  in  width.  The  goal  was 
distinctly  marked  at  each  end.  The  racers 
having  practiced  long,  met  at  the  ground, 
denuded,  except  a  cloth  around  the  loins. 
Wives  or  sweethearts,  fathers  and  mothers 
assembled  in  crowds  to  witness  the  race,  on 
both  sides  of  the  track.  One  party  in  a 
village  is  marked  by  a  blue,  another  from  a 
near  village  by  a  red  ribbon.  The  racer  has 
his  insignia  to  denote  to  which  party  he 
belongs.  The  day  arrives.  Part  of  the  blues 
are  on  one  side  of  the  track,  part  on  the 
other,  and  so  of  the  reds.  The  crowd  on 
both  sides  is  great.  Horses,  cows,  cattle,  as 
prizes,  are  on  the  ground  near  by.  Betting 
runs  high  hours  before  the  race.  When  all 
are  ready,  two  men,  a  red  and  a  blue,  with 
toe  on  the  mark,  stand  ready  for  the  signal 
to  start.  Cool,  yet  determined,  stand  the  con 
testants.  As  the  word  is  given,  two,  a  red 
and  a  blue,  dash  forward.  The  instant  one 
touches  the  mark  at  the  opposite  end,  another 
of  his  party  starts  back.  If  the  one  who 
started  with  him  is  behind,  the  man  of  his  party 
must  wait  till  he  touches  the  line.  If  his 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  67 

party  continues  to  lag  and  cannot  gain  what 
is  lost,  the  other  side  eventually  wins.  But 
this  may  continue  for  hours  before  the  victory 
is  won. 

During  all  the  time  the  villagers  on  both 
sides  of  the  track  were  divided,  so  that  half 
the  blues  were  on  one  side  and  half  on  the 
other,  and  vice  versa  of  the  reds,  the  parties 
shouting  and  halloing,  men  on  horseback 
and  women  as  much  excited  as  the  men. 
When  the  die  is  cast  the  winners  take  their 
prizes  and  leave  for  home.  Sometimes  a  race 
was  run  between  two  persons,  champions, 
from  three  to  five  miles,  and  the  amount 
staked  reached  $500  worth  of  livestock  and 
dry  goods.  In  these  races,  men  and  women 
who  had  large  stakes,  as  their  favorite  racer 
lagged,  ran  after  him,  hooting  and  prodding 
with  a  sharp  stick,  so  intense  was  the  excite 
ment. 

There  was  one  advantage  which  these 
Indians  had  over  horse  racers  of  this  day. 
Although  the  excitement  was  great  and 
betting  strong,  and  the  gambling  dissipating 
to  morals,  there  was  so  far  as  we  know,  no 
drinking. 


68  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

The  word  Aw-op,  meaning  Apache,  was 
often  used  by  the  Pima  mother,  to  still  the 
crying  of  her  little  one. 

The  old  warriors  here,  who  can  show  the 
scars  of  many  a  wound  received  in  fights,  will 
soon  be  no  more. 

Many  years  ago  there  was  but  little  for 
which  to  fight,  except  the  hunting  grounds 
and  a  few  slaves.  But  since  the  Pimas  have 
become  raisers  of  horses  and  cattle,  war  with 
these  Apaches  is  no  longer  an  object.  The 
Apaches  had  the  advantage  over  the  Pimas 
having  a  very  large  country  to  roam  over,  as 
some  of  our  military  officers  well  know. 

They  had  many  hiding  places  and  natural 
fortifications,  where  a  handful  of  Apaches 
could  easily  defy  such  fighters  as  Gen.  Crook 
and  his  brave  officers  and  soldiers. 

Some  of  our  frontiersmen  have  regarded 
the  Apaches  as  cowards,  perhaps  because 
they  would  not  fight  when  the  odds  were 
against  them.  The  Pimas,  however,  did  not 
so  estimate  them,  nor  did  the  Apaches  con 
sider  the  Pimas  cowards. 

To  mention  all  the  battles  and  hand  to 
hand  fights  of  these  tribes  within  the  past 
sixty  years,  would  fill  volumes.  Be  content 
with  a  few. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  69 

Once  the  Pimas,  being  hungry,  went  to  the 
San  Pedro  to  hunt  deer.  They  took  their 
wives  with  them  and  a  few  ponies.  They 
left  the  women  in  camp  in  the  morning  and 
on  their  return  in  the  evening,  all  had  been 
taken  captive  by  the  Apaches. 

At  another  time,  a  number  of  Maricopa 
Indians,  on  their  way  to  Tucson,  were  sur 
prised  by  a  party  of  Apaches,  two  miles  south 
of  the  Sacaton  Agency  and  every  one  was 
killed.  The  little  hill  where  the  battle  was 
fought,  is  still  called  by  the  Indians,  Aw-aw- 
pap-ha-ko-ita  or  Maricopa  slaughter. 

About  seven  miles  from  the  agency,  near 
the  Temple  road,  they  had  a  great  battle, 
about  thirty  years  ago,  where  many  on  both 
sides  were  killed.  "Old  Ursutch,"  who  died 
seven  years  since,  was  surprised  by  a 
band  of  Apaches,  nearly  six  miles  from 
home.  He  kept  them  at  bay  until  his  wife 
and  children  were  safe,  meantime  receiving 
three  severe  wounds.  Usually,  the  Apaches 
provoked  the  wars,  either  by  robbery,  or 
murdering  the  Pimas.  Whereupon  councils 
were  held  by  the  Pimas  and  a  time  fixed  for 
a  campaign.  All  the  war-chiefs  and  warriors 
then  got  ready,  with  feathers  in  their  hair, 


70  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

faces  and  hair  painted,  war  clubs  and  shields 
or  bows  and  arrows  and  sometimes  lances, 
and  some  food.  They  then  met  in  a  village 
and  there  danced  as  many  evenings  as  they 
expected  to  be  absent. 

While  the  young  sang  and  danced,  the  war- 
prophets  sat  near  and  prophesied  in  regard  to 
what  their  success  should  be,  like  the  "  Oracle 
of  Delphi." 

Having  learned  that  it  was  not  the  custom 
of  the  Apaches  to  fight  at  night,  a  new  system 
of  tactics  was  inaugurated  by  the  Pimas. 
Taking  Apache  captives  for  guides  they  man 
aged  to  reach  their  villages  at  night,  stealthily 
approached  them  and  beat  them  with  clubs, 
and  usually  killed  them  before  they  had  time 
to  rub  their  eyes  open.  Such  raids  were  some 
times  very  disastrous,  at  other  times  success 
ful,  as  they  brought  home  captives,  and  if  no 
Pimas  had  been  killed  they  had  a  glorious 
dance,  in  which  nearly  the  whole  tribe  joined. 
The  dancing  being  mostly  side-jumps  by  sev 
eral  thousand  who  joined  hands,  made  the 
earth  tremble  for  quite  a  distance.  After  the 
festivities  were  over,  most  of  the  captives  were 
taken  to  the  Papagoes,  or  to  Sonera  in  Mexico* 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  7  I 

and  there  sold  as  slaves,  at  a  price  ranging 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred  dollars,  in  goods 
and  livestock.  Then  those  who  had  killed 
an  enemy,  had  to  remain  outside  the  camp  for 
a  month,  their  food  being  brought  to  them. 
At  the  end  of  a  month  or  moon,  the  process 
of  cleansing  was  performed,  and  the  braves 
were  then  allowed  to  mingle  again  with  the 
people. 

In  this  connection  we  may  mention  the  war- 
drill.  From  the  age  of  two  years,  up  to  old 
age,  the  males  carried  bows,  and  arrows. 
Some  of  the  experts  occasionally  gave  a  drill 
in  the  practice  of  club  and  shield.  Much 
depended  on  fleetness  of  foot.  Some  young 
women  could  travel  from  forty  to  fifty  miles 
in  sixteen  hours,  and  there  were  warriors  who 
ran  twenty  miles,  keeping  a  horse  on  a  canter, 
following  them. 

Some  imitated  the  Apaches  in  their  system 
of  telegraphing  from  the  top  of  steep  hills  or 
mountains,  by  smoke  in  the  day  or  fire  at 
night  ;  although  in  this  the  Pimas  could  not 
compete  with  their  neighbors,  whose  system 
was  so  perfect  for  communicating  great  dis 
tances,  even  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  miles, 
which  is  well  known  to  our  army  officers  who 


72  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

fought  them.  The  Pimas,  however,  were 
fully  their  equal  in  "trailing."  He  could 
even  distinguish  the  prints  of  feet  in  the 
sand,  of  those  of  his  village,  and  friends,  so 
as  to  tell  you  who  had  passed  before  him, 
and  the  print  of  his  horse's  hoofs  from  those 
of  any  other  horse. 

Sham  battles  were  also  frequently  given, 
some  of  the  Pimas  representing  the  Apaches 
so  well,  that  if  a  white  man  had  passed  he 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  deceived  by 
them.  After  the  battle  had  waged  some 
time,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  the  Pimas  came 
off  conquerors  without  losing  a  man.  The 
opposition,  however,  did  not  lose  esteem  on 
that  account. 

In  1872,  Major  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  was 
sent  to  this  territory  by  President  Grant,  with 
a  view  to  establishing  peace  between  the 
Indians  and  the  whites.  General  Howard 
went  with  only  one  of  his  aids,  to  see  Cochise, 
chief  of  the  Chirichua  Apaches,  at  his  head 
quarters.  This  was  an  act  of  daring  which 
few  would  perform.  Cochise  consented  to 
live  at  peace  in  Arizona,  but  not  in  Mexico, 
where  as  he  claimed  his  father  had  been 
foully  murdered,  after  making  a  treaty,  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  73 

after  coming  out  of  one  of  their  churches. 
It  is  possible  that  this  may  have  been  done 
by  some  crank,  for  it  seems  hardly  credible 
that  the  priests  or  authorities  would  have 
committed  an  act  which  afterward,  no  doubt, 
cost  the  lives  of  thousands. 

After  this  Gen.  Howard  visited  the  Pimas, 
inspected  the  school  then  conducted  by  Mis 
sionary  Cook,  expressing  his  approbation  at 
finding  it  not  only  on  the  pay  list,  but  a  school 
in  reality. 

The  general  then  requested  the  Pimas  to 
send  a  large  delegation  to  make  peace  with 
the  Apaches,  at  Camp  Grant. 

Gen.  Crook  and  Gov.  Safford  were  there, 
and  Tucson  was  well  represented.  There 
was  much  talk,  which  lasted  two  days.  Eski- 
mensin  was  the  Apache  orator  and  chief 
speaker  for  that  tribe. 

An  Apache,  seeing  Louis,  the  Pima  inter 
preter,  came  to  meet  him  in  high  glee.  Taking 
his  hand,  he  said  :  "You  are  the  Pima  who 
killed  me  years  ago."  Louis  then  recognized 
him  as  the  man  to  whom  he  had  dealt  a  heavy 
blow  with  a  war-club,  and  then  left  him  for 
dead  on  the  battle-field.  Peace-making  pro 
gressed  and  all  were  pleased,  except  in  one 


74  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

item  of  the  contracts.  The  Apaches  wanted 
the  captives  restored  who  had  been  taken  at 
the  Camp  Grant  massacre,  (vide  "  Century  of 
Dishonor,"  by  H.  H.,  pp.  324-335).  They 
were  nearly  all  held  by  Mexicans,  who  objected 
pleading  that  they  could  not  allow  them  to 
return  to  heathenism,  that  they  had  learned 
to  love  them  and  their  hearts  would  almost 
break  at  the  thought  of  it.  Eskimensin  lis 
tened  patiently,  then  evidently  much  moved, 
spoke  nearly  as  follows  :  "  Your  hearts  must 
have  become  very  tender  all  at  once.  Not 
long  ago,  when  the  men  were  away  hunting, 
you  came  here  and  killed  defenceless  old  men, 
women  and  children.  You  took  a  number  of 
our  children  to  Tucson  to  sell  into  slavery  of 
and  when  some  of  the  little  ones  cried  for 
their  homes  and  murdered  mothers,  you  put 
water  on  their  heads,"  (baptized  them)  "  and 
then  you  took  them  by  the  legs  and  knocked 
their  heads  against  the  rocks  and  killed  them 
and  left  them  for  the  coyotes  to  eat.  How 
does  it  happen  that  your  hearts  have  got  so 
tender  all  at  once  ? "  The  massacre  occurred 
but  little  over  a  year  previous  and  was  fresh  in 
the  minds  of  many  present,  among  whom,  in 
this  council,  was  our  missionary,  who  heard 
all  the  discussions. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  75 

Gen.  Howard  left  the  settlement  of  the 
question  in  regard  to  retaining  or  returning 
the  captives,  to  President  Grant,  who  issued 
an  order  subsequently  for  the  return  of  the 
captives. 

Because  Gen.  Howard  did  not  assume 
authority  and  return  the  captives,  some  were 
offended,  and  a  ruse  was  attempted  but 
failed.  It  was  as  follows  :  Mannel,  a  tame 
Apache,  who  was  also  an  interpreter,  came  to 
the  Pimas,  requesting  them  to  take  care  of 
his  horse  and  rifle  for  an  hour,  until  he  could 
bid  good-bye  to  some  of  his  relations.  To 
this  the  Pimas  assented.  After  two  hours, 
word  came  that  Mannel  could  not  be  found, 
and  fears  were  entertained  that  there  had 
been  foul  play,  and  he  had  been  put  out  of 
the  way  by  the  Apaches.  This  story  was  the 
all-absorbing  theme  of  conversation  for  some 
time,  and  was  published  in  the  newspapers. 

Having  seen  carriages  leave  for  Tucson, 
soon  after  Mannel  left,  the  Pimas  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  Mexicans  had  captured 
him  instead  of  the  Apaches.  They  sent  to 
Tucson,  and  lo  !  after  enjoying  a  nice  car 
riage  ride,  here  was  Mannel  safe  and  sound. 

Since  this  "  treaty,"  there  have  been  no^ 
wars  between  the  Pimas  and  Apaches. 


76  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Very  few  of  the  Pimas  were  originally  poly- 
gamists.  There  are  many  examples  that  show 
honorable  fidelity  of  husband  and  wife  to  each 
other  for  life.  This,  however,  was  not  the 
case  with  the  majority. 

Some  time  after  the  treaty  mentioned  in  the 
last  chapter,  an  Apache  squaw,  a  captive,  who 
had  been  married  to  a  Pima  Indian  and  was 
much  loved  by  her  Pima  sisters,  was  claimed 
by  her  brother,  as  it  was  understood  by  the' 
treaty  that  the  Pimas  were  to  deliver  up  the 
Apache  captives  to  their  tribe.  In  the  absence 
of  the  government  superintendent,  the  mis 
sionary,  acting  as  agent,  decided  the  case.  He 
asked  the  Apache  woman  how  she  liked  her 
husband  and  what  treatment  she  had  received 
from  him  ?  She  expressed  herself  as  perfectly 
satisfied,  and  desired  to  live  with  him  always 
The  husband  fully  reciprocated.  He  was  in 
formed  that  they  must  not  be  separated,  as 
they  were  truly  husband  and  wife.  "But," 
added  the  missionary,  "  there  is  no  law  against 
a  Pima  husband  making  a  present  of  a  good 
pony  to  his  brother-in-law,  or  his  wife  visiting 
her  family  as  often  as  she  may  choose.  At 
this  suggestion,  all  were  well  pleased,  and  the 
Apache  brother-in-law  rode  home  on  his  pony, 
perhaps  the  first  he  had  ever  owned. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  77 

Until  the  last  one  hundred  years,  the  Pimas 
knew  little  or  nothing  of  the  Spaniards.  At 
one  time  a  number  of  the  Indians  were  invited 
to  visit  Tucson,  (pronounced  Took-sone,  or 
Too-sone],  meaning  Blackfoot  hills.  They 
here  saw  Mexicans,  soldiers,  cannon  and  fire 
arms.  The  Indians  were  treated  to  beef  for 
the  first  time,  which  they  greatly  enjoyed. 

Here  they  met  the  Catholic  priests,  called 
by  the  Mexicans,  padre,  or  father.  They 
taught  them  of  the  advent  of  the  Saviour  into 
the  world  and  invited  them  to  join  the  mis 
sion.  The  subject  was  new  to  them  and  they 
could  not  take  it  in  readily.  They  wanted  to 
discuss  the  matter  at  home  with  their  chief 
and  others,  so  they  declined  after  the  coun 
cil  was  over.  Some  time  after  this,  Chief 
Haran-n-mawk  (Raven  hair)  of  the  Papagoes, 
came  with  many  of  his  people  from  Tucson, 
to  the  Pimas  on  the  Gila,  for  refuge.  They 
stated  that  the  Mexicans  wanted  him  and  his 
people,  without  sufficient  supplies,  to  Wage  an 
unceasing  warfare  on  the  Apaches.  Not 
long  after,  however,  a  body  of  Mexicans  with 
cavalry  and  artillery  came  in  pursuit,  where 
upon  the  Papagoes  and  Pimas,  after  hiding 
their  scanty  supply  of  food,  fled  to  the  fast- 


78  THE  PIMA  INDIAN  MISSION. 

nesses  of  the  mountains  west  of  this  place, 
terror-stricken  at  the  booming  of  cannon  and 
of  fire-arms.  Here,  like  "  Leonidas,"  they 
could  defend  themselves  in  the  canons  for 
months,  against  the  foe  in  front.  They  sub 
sisted  on  the  mescal,  in  part,  which  grows  on 
the  top  of  a  mountain  range,  where  the  enemy 
could  not  reach  them.  But  after  waiting  for 
months,  the  Mexicans,  their  enemies,  still 
occupying  their  villages,  ready  and  thirsting 
for  a  fight,  a  sterner  foe  in  camp  threatened 
them.  The  mescal  gave  out.  The  men  were 
afraid  of  the  cannon  and  fire-arms,  and  their 
children  cried  for  food.  The  squaws  pro 
posed  to  go  and  fight — driven  as  they  were 
by  hunger  and  the  fruitless  wails  of  the  child 
ren — if  the  husbands  would  not  go.  In  this 
extremity,  the  lion-hearted  Ravenhair  and 
his  two  sons,  went  and  surrendered.  The 
Mexicans  took  them  and  hanged  them  on  a 
tree.  They  then  returned  to  Tucson. 

It  is  supposed  that  many  of  those  Papagoes 
(one  village)  have  resided  near  the  Pimas, 
until  the  last  two  years,  and  a  few  still  remain. 
Some  time  after  the  above  event,  several 
priests  with  a  band  of  soldiers,  came  to 
establish  a  mission  near  Casa-Blanca,  but  the 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  79 

Pimas  forbade  them.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  the  Pimas,  with  the  help  of  the  Papagoes, 
managed  to  get  a  few  ponies. 

It  is  about  sixty  or  sixty-five  years  since 
the  first  cattle  were  brought  to  the  Pimas. 
Many  of  the  old  Pimas  remember  the  event 
distinctly.  Many  of  the  Indians  were  at  first 
frightened  at  their  horns  and  shaking  of  the 
heads  and  bellowing  of  the  cattle.  But  the 
old  Quacherty,  a  branch  of  the  Pimas,  finally 
quieted  their  fears,  assuring  them  that  they 
were  harmless  and  very  valuable  for  work  and 
beef.  Henceforth,  cattle  were  driven  from 
Sonora,  Mexico,  bought  in  trade  and  fre 
quently  stolen  by  Mexicans,  Yaqui  Indians 
and  Papagoes,  and  sold  to  the  Pimas  at 
reduced  rates. 

The  Quatcharty  Indian  who  brought  the 
first  cattle,  married  a  Pima  woman.  Some  of 
his  sons  were  killed  in  the  recent  war  with 
the  Apaches,  and  one  died  about  four  years 
ago.  One  of  his  daughters  is  a  most  faithful 
Christian.  His  son,  named  Joseph  Roberts, 
the  only  elder  in  the  Pima  Presbyterian 
Church  here,  and  a  number  of  his  children 
and  grandchildren  are  members  also  ;  one  of 
whom,  a  pupil  in  the  Indian  training  school. 


8o  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

at  Tucson,  plays  the  organ  well.  Our  Elder, 
who  was  also  a  great  warrior,  does  good  ser 
vice  now  in  the  army  of  the  Lord. 

Some  of  these  Pimas  responded  to  the  call 
of  Gen.  Miles,  as  spies,  and  aided  him  in 
capturing  "  Geronimo  "  and  his  band,  now 
under  guard  at  Mount  Vernon,  Alabama. 
They  were  always  glad  to  aid  the  U.  S. 
government  in  every  way  possible.  Besides 
the  Pimas  there  are  other  tribes  of  Indians 
living  in  the  western  part  of  Arizona. 

The  Maricopas,  who  many  years  ago  took 
refuge  among  the  Pimas  and  still  reside  here, 
speak  the  Yuma  language.  Twenty  years 
ago  they  numbered  four  hundred  and  fifty 
souls.  They  are  now  reduced  to  but  half 
as  many.  In  some  respects  they  resemble 
the  Yumas.  The  Pimas  about  the  same  time 
numbered  four  thousand  and  have  not 
diminished  since.  The  Papagoes,  Quatchar- 
ties,  and  others,  who  speak  the  Pima  lan 
guage,  probably  amount  to  the  same  number, 
exclusive  of  those  who  reside  outside  perma 
nently  in  Sonora,  Mexico.  Most  of  the  Papa- 
goes,  except  a  few  who  reside  near  San 
Xavier,  live  in  villages,  where  they  cultivate 
the  soil  when  the  rains  are  sufficient  to  raise 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  8 1 

a  crop,  but  are  nomadic  at  other  times.  They 
live  on  deserts,  where  as  soon  as  the  whites  oc 
cupy  all  the  grazing  lands  adjacent,  it  will  be 
impossible  for  them  to  subsist  much  longer. 
They  will  be  driven  to  the  wall  and  starve  to 
death  This  is  inevitable  unless  provision  is 
made  for  them.  Should  not  our  government 
set  apart  a  small  portion  of  the  Pan  Handle 
in  the  Indian  Territory  for  them  and  other 
Indians  similarly  situated,  before  they  become 
extinct,  and  provide  them  a  home  and  schools, 
and  should  not  the  churches  provide  them  a 
missionary  ? 

The  Quatcharties  have  built  long  dams 
across  the  valleys  above  their  fields,  where 
they  store  much  water  in  the  rainy  seasons,  and 
irrigate  at  pleasure. 

Frequently  in  the  summer  many  of  the 
Papagoes  come  to  the  reservation  here  and 
help  the  Pimas  at  wheat  harvest  on  shares, 
and  earn  sufficient  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the 
door  the  rest  of  the  year.  Others  near  the 
Sonora  line  spend  much  of  their  time  in 
Mexico  for  the  same  purpose.  Some  also  go 
to  the  San  Pedro  valley.  They  travel  with 
burros,  small  mules  and  on  ponies,  carrying 
household  goods,  cooking  utensils  especially, 


82  THE    £IMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

camping  wherever  night  overtakes  them. 
They  build  a  small  rude  hut  on  short  notice, 
generally  in  a  day,  for  a  short  stay.  Some 
speak  a  little  mongrel  Spanish,  and  show  a 
mixture  of  Mexican  and  Spanish  blood. 

They  are  fairly  clean.  They  raise  more 
asses  and  mules  than  the  Pimas,  and  formerly 
more  cattle  and  horses.  Some  of  them,  before 
the  railroad  was  built,  stole  stock  from  the 
Pimas  and  sold  it  in  Mexico,  and  the  Pimas 
played  at  the  same  game. 

U.  S.  agent,  Capt.  Grossman,  tried  to 
induce  them  to  settle  on  the  Gila  in  1870  or 
1 87 1,  but  their  free  and  roving  nature  rebelled. 
They  preferred  the  deserts  and  little  springs 
in  the  mountains.  A  few  of  them  make  good 
laborers,  but  the  majority  decline  to  work. 
When  hunger  forces  them  out  of  ruts  and 
huts  during  the  winter  or  early  spring,  they 
come  by  hundreds,  in  a  long  caravan  to  the 
Pimas  whom  they  know  to  be  more  provident. 

A  small  delegation  is  sent  in  advance  to 
advertise  the  Pimas  that  they  are  very  hungry, 
and  will  soon  appear  to  give  them  a  great 
dance  in  exchange  for  something  to  eat. 
Looking  south  some  day,  you  may  see  a  great 
dust  for  miles  along  the  road.  As  the  cara- 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  83 

van  approaches,  you  behold  Indians,  squaws, 
kids  and  papooses,  some  on  ponies,  others  on 
mules  or  asses,  two  or  three  often  on  one 
animal,  with  extra  beasts  to  carry  grain  back. 
They  give  the  Pimas  two  or  three  nights' 
dancing,  in  return  for  which  each  Pima  family 
is  expected  to  give  fifty  or  one  hundred 
pounds  of  wheat — so  great  is  their  own 
estimate  of  the  exhibition,  and  the  generosity 
of  the  Pimas.  This  wheat  is  collected  by  the 
Papagoes  in  the  various  villages,  as  they 
tarried,  .  and  by  them  transported  to  their 
homes.  So  hungry  were  some  of  these  little 
Papago  children,  as  to  be  delighted  at  find 
ing  a  crust  of  coarse  bread  just  cast  away, 
which  the  average  white  child  would  have 
spurned. 

Previous  to  the  Independence  of  Mexico, 
i.  e.  in  1822-25,  many  of  the  Papagoes  who 
were  under  the  influence  of  the  Padres,  wore 
their  hair  short  while  among  the  Pimas.  The 
Quatcharties,  and  others  have  always  worn 
theirs  long,  thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of 
any  other  covering  for  the  head.  A  few  of 
them  settled  among  the  Pimas,  and  taught 
them  the  art  of  raising  wheat.  At  this  date, 
perhaps  owing  to  their  desert  homes,  and 


84  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

other  causes,  they  are  behind  the  Pimas  in 
wealth  and  civilization.  With  the  exception 
of  those  living  in  villages,  they  oppose  schools. 

The  Apaches  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico, 
differ  from  the  other  tribes  in  many  respects. 
Their  principal  mode  of  eking  out  a  living 
was  heretofore  by  the  chase  and  gathering 
the  mescal  and  by  robbery.  The  mescal  is  a 
plant  with  an  enormous  root,  quite  nourishing, 
corresponding  to  the  bread-fruit  in  foreign 
countries. 

One  thing  may  be  conceded  to  them — they 
were  the  most  virtuous  of  Indians,  (if  any  are 
chaste),  although  adultery  was  punished  with 
them  by  killing  the  man  and  cutting  off  the 
nose  of  the  woman.  To  some  extent,  how 
ever,  they  have  practiced  polygamy. 

The  natural  resources  of  their  country 
were  such,  that  they  could  have  kept  one 
hundred  thousand  head  of  cattle,  with  little 
or  no  work  or  oversight,  had  they  been  so 
inclined,  and  many  of  the  villages  could  have 
produced  the  best  of  fruits  and  grain,  had 
their  people  been  industrious,  like  the  whites, 
if  they  had  been  taught  ;  yet  they  knew  so 
little  of  the  way  of  cultivating  the  soil,  that 
at  times  they  were  so  hungry  as  to  capture  a 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  85 

Coyote  in   a  trap,  cook,  and  eat  it — a  thing 
that  even  an  Indian  rarely  does. 

The  Camp  —Apache  Indians  are  probably 
the  most  susceptible  to  Christianizing  influ 
ences  of  any  of  the  tribes  in  this  territory. 
Long  ago,  they  asked  for  a  missionary  who 
would  help  them  and  teach  them  how  to  live, 
both  for  this  world  and  the  next.  So  far  the 
churches  have  not  responded.  There  is  a 
probability,  however,  that  the  German  Luth 
erans  will  soon  establish  a  mission  among 
them.  There  is  a  great  need  of  suitable 
young  men  and  women,  to  be  educated  as 
teachers  and  missionaries,  and  even  store 
keepers  and  farmers,  to  go  and  live  among 
such  tribes  as  these,  all  over  the  country 
where  there  are  Indians.  But  they  should  go 
married,  as  husband  and  wife.  It  is  ques 
tionable  whether  two  women,  however  conse 
crated,  can  succeed.  A  very  important  aim 
in  all  our  Indian  mission  schools,  should  be 
first  to  evangelize  the  Indians  of  both  sexes, 
then  to  fit  them  to  return  and  make  homes 
and  aid  the  above  missionaries  by  supple 
menting  their  efforts. 

The  statistics  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  this 
territory  as    given    by  the    commissioner    of 


86  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Indian   affairs,  Gen.  T.  J.    Morgan,    Vol.  2, 
1891,  is  as  follows  : 

Colorado-rim  agency, 2,891 

Navajoe  agency, 17,852 

Pima  agency, 9*695 

San  Carlos  agency, 4,819 

There  are  all  told  under  government  pro 
tection,  38,481. 

This  brings  us  to  the  present,  and  shows 
what  has  been  done  for  the  Indians  on  this 
Pima  reservation  during  ihe  past  two  decades. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  S.  P.  R.  R.,  the 
Pimas  were  doubtless  the  best  known  tribe  in 
Arizona.  The  overland  mail  road  and  most 
of  the  traffic  of  the  territory  at  that  time 
passed  through  this  reservation.  No  danger 
here  from  Apaches  or  Mexicans,  who  for  a 
time  made  it  their  business  to  kill  and  plunder 
between  Tucson  and  Yuma. 

It  is  true,  a  few  of  the  "  baser  sort,"  often 
drove  the  mules  or  horses  of  the  freight  teams 
away,  when  grazing  a  little  distance,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  reward  for  hunting  them.  Other 
wise,  but  few  depredations  were  committed. 
Twenty  five  years  ago,  there  were  six  trad 
ing  establishments  on  this  reservation,  where 
you  could  purchase  calico  or  muslin  at  twenty 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  87 

five  cents  per  yard,  a  cake  of  soap  at  the 
same  price,  sugar  at  fifty  cents  a  pound  and 
canned  goods  at  from  seventy-five  cents  to  a 
dollar  per  can.  The  goods  were  brought 
over-land  from  San  Diego,  Cal.  Wheat 
brought  prices  in  fair  proportion,  one  dollar 
and  fifty  to  two  dollars  per  hundred  pounds. 
With  the  Indians,  wheat  was  their  "  stock  in 
trade."  So  the  early  traders  did  all  they  could 
to  encourage  them  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
The  plow  was  of  the  most  primitive  make. 
It  was  patterned  after  those  made  in  Egypt, 
3,000  or  4,000  years  ago,  or  the  one  used  by 
Elisha,  vide  i  Kings,  19:19.  It  consisted  of 
a  beam  of  mesquite  wood,  a  hook  with  a 
handle  and  a  pole  fastened  to  it.  The  share 
was  simply  a  piece  of  mesquite* three  inches 
square  and  two  feet  long,  sharpened  at  the 
lower  end  and  fastened  ingeniously  at  the 
upper  end  at  an  angle  of  fifty  degrees,  into 
the  beam.  The  pole  was  fastened  to  the 
plow  at  one  end,  and  to  the  ox-yoke  at  the 
other.  The  yoke,  instead  of  resting  on  the 
neck,  was  fastened  in  a  curious  manner  to  the 
horns  of  the  oxen.  This  plow  answered  the 
purpose  of  plow  and  harrow.  It  required 
from  four  to  six  yoke  of  oxen  to  do  the  work 


88  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

(which  was  but  little  more  than  scratching 
the  ground)  for  a  whole  village,  and  was 
owned  by  two  or  three  families. 

During  the  past  ten  years  this  tribe  has  pro 
duced  from  sixty  to  seventy  thousand  bushels 
of  wheat  a  year,  the  government  having  lately 
furnished  them  axes,  spades  and  modern 
plows,  which  they  highly  prize. 

The  first  Indian  day  school  under  govern 
ment  was  opened  among  the  Pimas  by  Mr. 
Cook  in  1871.  This  he  conducted  successfully 
for  seven  years  and  for  two  years  more  he  was 
employed  as  trader.  During  this  time,  besides 
serving  the  government  and  the  Indians  with 
fidelty,  he  was  preparing  for  a  still  greater 
work  as  a  missionary  exclusively. 

Not  long  after  this  a  school  was  opened  at 
San  Xavier.  Gov.  McCormick  the  delegate 
to  congress,  and  his  wife,  visited  the  school 
and  secured  government  aid  for  suitable  build 
ings.  The  Ladies'  Union  Mission  School  As 
sociation  in  New  York,  at  this  time  having 
had  their  attention  called  to  the  needs  of  these 
Indians  by  army  officers,  employed  and  sent 
a  lady  teacher.  They  also  very  kindly  sent 
(and  have  several  times  since  repeated  the 
act)  a  good  Mason  and  Hamlin  organ  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  89 

other  supplies  for  the  school,  all  of  which  were 
fully  appreciated,  as  they  added  very  efficiently 
to  the  work.  After  the  day  school  had  existed 
eight  years'  it  was  changed  to  a  boarding 
school.  This  school  resembles  most  of  the 
other  Indian  boarding  schools.  There  has 
been  a  gradual  growth  and  improvement, 
becoming  more  apparent  during  the  last  few 
years. 

The  girls  receive  good  training  in  all  lines 
of  housekeeping  and  the  boys  learn  such  trades 
and  modes  of  farming  as  will  fit  them  for  a 
useful  life,  as  citizens.  They  are  frequently 
drilled  in  military  tactics,  in  two  companies, 
before  school.  This  is  done  by  native  ser 
geants  in  a  manner  that  would  surprise  a 
West  Point  cadet.  They  perform  with  a  celer 
ity  of  action  and  unanimity  of  motion  that 
would  do  honor  to  a  company  of  national 
guards  of  Arizona.  It  is  amusing  to  see  the 
children  imitate  their  drill-master  and  their 
delight  in  the  exercise.  They  do  as  well — 
possibly  better — under  an  Indian,  than  a 
white  man.  In  the  day  school  they  memorize 
the  ten  commandments  and  other  portions  of 
scripture  with  remarkable  facility — especially 
considering  the  fact  that  they  are  just  begin 
ning  to  learn  the  English  language. 


90  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

This  school,  started  twenty  years  ago  with 
hungry  and  almost  naked  Indians,  has  grown 
and  multiplied  until  at  present  there  are  about 
five  hundred  pupils  in  the  various  schools  in 
this  territory  and  in  Albuquerque,  New  Mex 
ico.  And  it  would  require  no  very  great 
effort  to  place  all  the  children  under  school 
training.  One  of  the  best  schools  in  the 
country,  for  educating  the  Pimas  and  Papa- 
goes,  is  the  Indian  training  and  industrial 
school  at  Tucson.  It  was  first  opened  in  Jan 
uary,  1888,  and  now  has  one  hundred  and 
fifty  or  more  pupils.  Rev.  Howard  Billman 
is  the  efficient  superintendent  and  is  seconded 
in  his  efforts  by  his  estimable  wife,  and  a  corps 
of  faithful,  earnest  co-workers. 

Not  all  Indian  agents  are  good  or  wise  men  : 
would  that  they  were  !  The  injury  that'some 
of  them  have  done,  it  is  difficult  to  estimate 
and  can  never  be  repaired.  Those  who  recom 
mend  and  those  who  have  the  power  of 
appointment,  should  be  slow  in  their  selection, 
unless  assured  of  their  fitness  for  the  position. 
A  mistake  may  not  be  corrected,  until  evil 
has  been  wrought  and  then  it  is  too  late.  Here, 
however,  we  have  had  some  very  good  men  in 
position.  Mr.  C.  W.  Grouse,  the  present 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  91 

incumbent,  has  worked  hard  and  done  well  in 
bettering  the  condition  of  the  Pimas  and  Papa- 
goes.  Besides  erecting  several  large  build 
ings  for  school  purposes  and  for  the  general 
benefit  of  the  Indians,  he  has  erected  a  flour 
ing  mill,  capable  of  producing  twenty-five 
barrels  a  day  of  (24  hours),  that  will  save  its 
cost  in  one  year.  He  has  utilized  Indian  labor 
to  its  utmost  ability,  thus  saving  expense  and 
teaching  them  how  to  work  at  the  same  time  ; 
and  they  are  not  slow  to  learn. 

He  has  built  an  irrigating  canal  over  six 
miles  in  length,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by 
Mr.  Cook,  who  has  done  a  similar  work  for 
the  Indians  several  times  in  past  years.  In 
the  construction  of  these  buildings  and  other 
improvements,  Indians  were  principally  em 
ployed.  This  has  given  them  a  fair  living 
and  the  training  they  needed,  so  that  at  pres 
ent  they  require  no  assistance  in  constructing 
the  walls  of  an  adobe  building,  painting  or 
plastering.  The  miller,  who  is  engineer  also, 
has  trained  his  assistants  (Indians)  so  that 
he  needs  no  other  help  in  running  his  engine. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  in  regard 
to  the  best  way  of  elevating  the  Indian. 
Many  who  are  in  other  respects  wise,  yet 


92  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

lacking  in  knowledge  of  Indian  character 
from  not  having  studied  it  on  the  ground, 
declare  that  you  can  do  nothing  with  the 
adult  Indians.  Educate  the  young,  say  they, 
separate  them  for  years  from  all  tribal  in 
fluences  and  you  may  do  a  little  for  them,  but 
you  cannot  do  anything  for  their  parents. 

Here  is  a  direct  and  palpable  refutation 
of  this  sentiment.  These  friends  of  the 
.Indians  forget,  or  ignore  what  the  Great 
Teacher  commanded  over  1,800  years  ago  : 
"  Go  preach  my  gospel  to  every  creature." 
With  the  same  means  that  have  produced 
these  results  here,  why  may  not  the  same  be 
expected  elsewhere?  To  educate  the  intel 
lect  only,  and  leave  the  heart  untouched,  is 
to  do  but  little  for  the  Indian. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  had  one 
missionary  here  laboring  under  a  commission 
of  her  Board  of  Home  Missions,  for  less  than 
twelve  years.  During  this  time  he  has 
received  over  eighty  members  into  the  church, 
who  before  knew  but  little  or  nothing  of 
evangelical  Christianity.  We  have  two  church 
edifices  twelve  miles  apart  on  this  reservation, 
the  one  at  Blackwater  on  the  east  seating  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  this  one  three  hundred, 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  93 

and  both  of  these  are  full  every  Sabbath  and 
frequently  crowded. 

It  is  expected  that  a  third  chapel  will  be 
erected  this  year,  thirty  miles  west  of  Sacaton, 
and  that  two  native  helpers  will  be  commis 
sioned  to  assist  the  missionary  in  his  large 
and  expanding  field. 

Many  come  regularly  to  church  a  distance 
of  from  two  to  twenty  miles,  and  not  a  few 
twenty  or  thirty  miles.  In  summer,  when 
churches  in  town  are  closed  from  the  intense 
heat,  these  overflow  with  a  multitude  who  are 
attracted,  not  by  the  eloquence  of  the 
preacher  or  by  the  exquisite  rendering  of 
chants  by  a  well  trained  choir,  or  soul-stirring 
peals  of  the  organ,  but  from  pure  love  to 
God  and  delight  in  the  service  of  preaching, 
prayer  and  praise.  This  influence  on  a  people 
just  emerging  from  heathenism  and  breaking 
up  old  superstitions  and  vices,  and  instead  of 
them,  leading  an  industrious  and  virtuous  life, 
must  far  exceed  that  of  churches  in  town  on  a 
civilized  people. 

The  Indian  mind  and  heart  is  virgin  soil, 
never  working  but  when  properly  cultivated  ; 
though  slow  in  development  and  requiring 
gr,eat  patience,  yet  when  thoroughly  wrought 


94  THE  PIMA  INDIAN  MISSION. 

upon  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  yields  more  ample 
returns  and  sometimes  more  rapid,  than  a 
gospel-hardened  soil. 

The  Indian  belongs  to  the  great  human 
family.  He  is  below  his  white  brother  in 
mind,  morals  and  heart  culture,  i.  e.,  the 
representative  of  the  cultured  man,  but  cer 
tainly  not  below  his  ancestors  in  the  dark 
ages,  before  the  dawn  of  Christianity. 

Formerly  news  of  importance  was  given 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  or  by  the  captain  of  a 
village,  morning  and  evening.  He  stood  on 
the  roof  of  his  house,  and  proclaimed  in  a 
voice  so  loud  that  the  captain  in  the  next 
village  heard  and  repeated,  until  all  the  vil 
lages,  one  after  another,  had  heard  the  latest 
war,  or  other  news.  Now,  the  young  Pima 
reads  his  newspaper  or  letters  from  friends  in 
distant  schools,  and  replies  with  as  much  inter 
est,  as  his  white  neighbor.  It  is  said  that 
u  Kid,"  the  notorious  Apache  renegade,  for 
whom  parties  are  now  in  pursuit,  can  read, 
write  and  even  operate  the  telegraph. 

During  the  past  ten  years  the  more  civilized 
and  christianized  Pimas  have  built  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  adobe  houses,  most  of 
them  superior  to  the  average  Mexican  house. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  95 

Not  contented  with  this,  and  finding  that  in  a 
wet  season,  havinga  flat  roof  of  brush,  and  mud 
they  leak  badly — imitating  their  pale-faced 
brother — they  have  begun  to  put  on  a  shin 
gled  roof,  of  one-third  pitch,  and  there  are 
three  such  within  sight.  They  have  cleared 
new  land,  and  if  sufficient  water  were  pro 
vided  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  nothing  could 
hinder  their  advancement  in  wealth  and  pros 
perity.  At  present  there  is  an  average  of  one 
pony  to  every  man,  woman  and  child  of  the 
tribe,  and  many  have  wagons,  while  some 
enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  carriage.  Some  of 
them  have  herds  of  cattle  ranging  from  ten 
to  three  hundred.  Most  of  the  field  work  is 
now  done  by  ponies.  They  have  purchased 
within  the  past  five  years,  about  forty  sewing 
machines  of  which  they  are  justly  proud.  A 
lame  Indian  heretofore  very  poor,  has  a  hand 
machine,  with  which  he  earns  good  wages,  as 
a  tailor,  and  now  comes  nine  miles  to  church 
in  his  carriage.  Formerly,  they  were  often 
hungry,  but  now  all  who  work  have  enough 
to  eat.  The  clothing  of  men  and  women  is 
respectable  and  many  a  young  girl,  especially 
in  summer,  during  vacation,  comes  to  church 
as  stylish  as  her  white  sister.  It  speaks  well 


96  THE    PIMA    INDIAN     MISSION. 

for  their  school-training,  when  it  was  plainly 
visible  last  summer  that  those  girls  who  had 
been  at  the  Indian  Training  School  at  Tucson, 
after  being  at  home  two  months,  on  their 
return,  were  if  possible  more  neat  and  tidy 
in  their  white  dresses  than  when  they  came. 
The  Pimas  have  always  been  self-sustaining, 
receiving  only  a  few  wagons  and  agricultural 
implements  from  the  government,  to  encour 
age  them  to  help  themselves,  when  greatly 
needed. 

Many  of  these  Indians  now  appreciate  the 
value  of  an  education.  Both  our  govern- 
ment  and  army  officers  have  been  the  true 
friends  of  these  Indians.  Unscrupulous 
agents,  and  inspectors  we  have  had,  but  they 
have  been  **  exceptions,  not  the  rule." 


•  CHAPTER  V. 

SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  FIRST  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE 
LADIES'  UNION  MISSION  SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION 
AND  ITS  CONNECTION  WITH  THE  MISSION  TO  THE 
PIMAS. 

The  Ladies'  Association  formed  in  New 
York  city  in  the  month  of  March,  1868,  to 
which  reference  has  been  made  in  the  intro 
duction  to  this  narrative,  after  two  years' 
active  service  in  the  territories  formerly 
known  as  Spanish  America,  entered  upon  a 
new  and  wider  field  of  labor.  The  first  society 
which  was  a  union  of  several  Christian  denom 
inations,  on  the  reunion  of  the  two  branches 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1870,  became 
auxiliary  to  the  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  con 
sequently  the  "  Albany  Branch,"  which  was 
union  in  its  character  was  re-organized  as  an 
independent  society,  not  auxiliary  to  any 
church  board,  but  at  liberty  to  aid  in  sustain 
ing  mission  schools  both  among  the  Indians 
of  Arizona  and  in  the  destitute  portions  of 
onr  western  territory. 

The  mission  to  the  Pima  Indians  having 
been  urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  Albany 


98  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

society,  the  new  organization  entered  heartily 
upon  this  Christian  work  and  they  were 
greatly  encouraged  by  the  information  re 
ceived  from  Gen.  Townsend  of  the  U.  S.  army 
who  addressed  to  them  the  following  letter  : 

I  am  well  persuaded  that  a  plan  of  the  nature  pro 
posed  by  the  Ladies'  Association,  would  prove  eminently 
successful  among  the  Pima  Indians  of  Arizona.  These 
Indians  have,  for  perhaps  a  hundred  years  or  more, 
abandoned  nomadic  life,  and  though  a  brave  and  fear 
less  race,  have  for  as  many  years  been  permanently  locat 
ed  upon  the  banks  of  the  Gila  river,  relying  for  their  sus 
tenance  upon  a  rude  culture  of  the  soil.  I  passed 
through  their  villages  in  1849,  an^  found  them  the 
most  interesting  and  friendly  Indians  I  had  yet  en 
countered.  They  seemed  to  be  gratified  to  have  us 
among  them,  and  could  scarcely  do  enough  for  us,  and 
for  Indians,  appeared  already  to  be  pretty  well  up  in 
the  scale  of  civilization. 

They  have  at  various  times  since  the  occupation  of 
Arizona  by  our  troops,  furnished  to  the  military  com 
manders,  large  scouting  parties  for  forays  against  the 
Apaches,  while  yearly  they  supply  the  government 
troops  with  all  their  surplus  grain,  and  generally  have 
hitherto,  in  many  ways,  evinced  their  desire  to  cultivate 
the  most  friendly  relations  with  our  people.  I  hail 
with  infinite  satisfaction  the  generous  efforts  you  have 
made  towards  the  establishment  of  a  Christian  mission 
among  the  Pimas.  May  God  the  Father  of  us  all, 
prosper  your  noble  devotion  and  the  great  cause. 
Believe  me  truly  your  friend, 

FREDERICK  TOWNSEND. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 


99 


We  entered  into  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Cook,  on  learning  of  his  employment  as 
teacher  at  the  agency,  and  received  from  him 
the  following  report  of  his  first  year's  work  : 

SCHOOL  REPORT  OF  REV.  C.  H.  COOK,  TEACHER. 

U.  S  INDIAN  AGENCY,  GILA  RIVER  RESERVATION,  [ 
December  30,  1871.      j 


Date. 

Hi 
-r. 

I 

s. 

'-3 

6 

•3 
10 

•z 

9 

18 
11 

M 

"1 

DO 

I 

iri- 

•i  ». 

00 

3 

19 

8 

li 

9 
15 
1! 
17 

ci 

o 

(W 
•27 
.1(1 
65 

:!5 
IK) 
c,c, 
<;;; 

Date. 

I'ii 

1 

i*. 

"£ 
S 

Ma 

(•!•] 

03 

I 

rl- 

•is. 

Z: 

'5 

o 
:-i 

December     1 
4 
5 
6 

8 
11 
12 

18 

9 
i:, 
•» 
8 

15 
19 
15 

tl 

10 

11 
1!) 
18 
2! 
tf) 
•M 

December  13 
14 
16 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 

Is! 
14 

19 
15 

i:-s 
17 

11 

in 

1 

7 
6 
5 

11 
17 
6 

10 

34 

•Jl 
2-J 
1? 

IS 

18 

1C, 
1C, 

1C, 
1C) 
1C, 
15 
l(i 
If, 
It 
14 

58 
58 
65 
.W 
58 
(53 
47 
50 

A  year  has  nearly  passed  since  our  first  endeavor  to 
open  school  here,  and  it  is  with  thankfulness  that  we 
acknowledge  the  aid  vouchsafed  by  Providence,  with 
out  which  our  efforts  would  be  but  in  vain. 

Some  of  the  obstacles  we  had  to  encounter  have 
gradually  disappeared  ;  most  of  the  necessary  school 
utensils  have  been  supplied,  and  the  Pima.language  has 
been  mastered  to  some  extent. 

Many  of  the  scholars  have  made  rapid  progress  in 
reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  English  speaking  and 
singing.  During  the  last  half  of  the  year,  I  have  been 
aided  by  the  assistant  teacher. 

The  Maricopa  children  do  not  understand  the  Pima 
language  ;  the  distance  to  their  village  (over  four  miles) 


IOO  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

has  heretofore  prevented  their  regular  attendance  ;  it 
was  thought  expedient  to  open  a  school  here.  The 
school  house,  an  Indian  hut,  was  built  by  the  Indians, 
and  serves  for  school,  Sunday  school  and  church.  It 
is,  however,  untenable  in  very  cold  and  windy  weather. 
The  children  there,  with  few  exceptions,  and  mostly 
such  as  live  farther  away,  attend  regularly.  I  think 
about  $250  would  enable  us  to  build  a  suitable  room 
there,  and  the  school  as  a  branch  school  would  cause 
otherwise  but  little  expense  to  the  department. 

The  attendence  at  the  agency  has  not  been  as  large 
and  regular  as  last  spring,  owing  partly  to  much  sick 
ness  that  has  prevailed,  during  which  four  scholars 
have  died.  The  Indians  being  somewhat  superstitious, 
all  of  the  first  village  and  others  left  their  homes  for  a 
number  of  weeks  at  a  time.  We  have  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  secure  a  regular  attendance  here,  especially 
among  the  smaller  scholars  ;  the  distance  to  their 
villages  is  from  i%  to  4*4  miles.  With  a  school  house 
near  the  center  of  them,  a  much  larger  and  more  regular 
attendance  may  be  reasonably  expected  ;  this  would 
also  give  us  an  opportunity  for  night  school  for  adults, 
and  for  Sunday  school  and  other  religious  services,  so 
much  needed. 

Our  thanks  are  due  to  friends  of  Chicago  for  sending 
a  supply  of  clothing  and  to  some  ladies  of  Philadelphia 
who  sent  us  a  map. 

Very  respectfully, 

C.  H.  COOK. 

Under  the  policy  instituted  by  President 
Grant,  the  Indian  agencies  were  placed  under 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  1OI 

the  care  and  supervision  of  the  several  Chris 
tian  denominations.  The  Indians  on  the  Gila 
River  Reservation  were  assigned  to  the  Re 
formed  Church  and  the  Board  of  Missions  of 
that  church  appointed  Mrs.  Stout  missionary 
teacher  at  the  agency. 

Mrs.  Stout  entered  upon  her  work  with  zeal 
and  energy  and  soon  after  Mr.  Cook's  report 
reached  us,  we  received  from  her  the  follow 
ing  letter  : 

GILA  RIVER  RESERVATION, 

April  i,  1872. 

Let  me  thank  you  for  sending  us  the  organ  and  things 
for  the  children,  which  only  arrived  one  week  ago.  The 
organ  is  such  a  nice  one  and  pleased  the  children  so 
much.  It  will  be  a  great  comfort  to  us  also,  for  I  don't 
know  what  it  is  to  live  without  some  kind  of  a  musical 
instrument,  or  at  least  did  not,  until  we  came  to  Arizona. 
I  feel  that  words  are  inadequate  to  thank  you  for  all 
those  things,  and  did  I  not  know  that  God  would  abun 
dantly  bless  and  prosper  you  for  doing  it  unto  even  the 
"  least  of  these  little  ones,"  I  should  feel  indeed  that 
you  were  poorly  rewarded,  but  I  feel  so  sure  of  a  rich 
reward  for  you,  both  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to 
come,  such  as  only  they  receive  who  work  for  His  sake. 

I  shall  commence  a  sewing  school,  day  after  tomorrow 
and  let  the  girls  work  on  both  boys '  and  girls'  clothes, 
but  it  will  be  such  a  few  weeks  until  school  closes,  I 
don't  think  they  can  finish  them  ;  but  it  will,  I  think, 
be  an  inducement  for  them  to  attend  school  more  regu- 


102  THE    P1MA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

larly.  My  class  of  girls  are  doing  nicely.  They  learn 
readily  and  seem  very  bright.  It  is  very  slow  work, 
however,  and  requires  much  patience.  The  school 
improves  every  day,  the  children  look  more  tidy  and 
take  more  interest.  Dr.  Bendell  has  just  made  us  a 
visit,  together  with  Dr.  Tonner  of  the  Mohave  agency, 
and  they  were  very  much  pleased.  The  superintendent 
said  he  thought  they  had  done  well.  Their  singing 
seemed  to  please  him  most.  I  think  the  Maricopas  are 
the  best  singers.  The  manner  in  which  they  talk  enables 
them  to  talk  plainer  English  than  the  Pimas.  The 
position  of  teacher  to  the  Indians  is  far  different  from 
teaching  in  the  states.  The  person  selected  for  a  teacher 
here  should  be  some  one  who  is  a  faithful  Christian  with 
a  great  deal  of  patience  and  one  who  will  be  willing  to 
sacrifice  all  for  the  Lord's  sake. 

I  remain,  truly  your  friend, 

GEORGIA  STOUT. 

We  continued  to  aid  and  encourage  the 
mission  while  under  the  supervision  of  the 
board  of  the  Reformed  Church,  as  many  of 
the  members  of  our  association  were  connected 
with  that  church.  On  learning  the  needs  of 
the  children  in  school,  boxes  of  clothing  were 
made  up  and  forwarded  to  the  reservation, 
which  were  gratefully  received  and  an  annual 
report  was  returned  to  us  by  the  United  States 
Indian  agent. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  103 

The  Reformed  Church,  however,  being  ^un 
able  to  sustain  the  mission  on  the  Gila  River 
Reservation,  resigned  the  charge  to  the  United 
States  government  and  the  responsibility  was 
assumed  in  the  year  1881,  by  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


It  is  not  to  magnify  our  own  humble  efforts 
in  the  beginning  of  this  interesting  mission, 
that  we  now  review  a  work,  which  has  for  the 
last  twelve  years,  been  successfully  prosecuted 
by  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Our  object  is  to  show  the  importance  of 
individual  effort  in  carrying  the  gospel  to 
the  Indians  of  our  own  country.  It  is  not 
enough  to  make  an  annual  contribution  to 
the  treasury  of  the  Board  of  Missions  ;  some 
acquaintance  should  be  had  by  the  society 
contributing  to  the  support  of  a  mission, 
with  the  working  force  on  the  ground  ;  as, 
after  the  missionary's  salary  is  raised,  there 
are  many  wants  unprovided  for,  which  if 
supplied,  would  greatly  aid  the  missionary  in 
his  work,  which,  for  the  want  of  such  aid,  is 
often  hindered. 


104  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Could  we  have  known  that  Mrs.  Cook's  life 
was  endangered  by  a  leaky  roof,  how  gladly 
would  we  have  removed  this  impediment  to 
the  comfort  and  welfare  of  herself  and  family  ! 
But  we  had  at  that  time,  no  knowledge  of  the 
difficulties  with  which  those  self-denying 
missionaries  had  to  struggle  ;  humanly  speak 
ing,  that  precious  life  was  lost  to  the  cause  to 
which  it  was  consecrated,  for  the  want  of 
what  we  could  easily  have  supplied. 

A  brother  missionary,  Rev.  I.  T.  Whitte- 
more,  writes  of  Mrs.  Cook  :  "  She  was  a 
stranger  to  fear,  a  faithful  mother,  a  noble 
companion  for  the  pioneer  missionary,  whom 
God  had  chosen  and  fitted  for  his  sphere  of 
duty.  Her  nameless  and  unmarked  grave? 
as  also  that  of  one  son  sleeping  by  her  side, 
is  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  and  is  pointed 
out  to  the  stranger  who  visits  the  now 
bereaved  missionary.  Like  a  bird  with  a 
broken  wing,  but  with  a  heart  rising  superior 
to  all  disappointments,  he  still  labors  on 
zealously  and  patiently.  His  heart  is  glad 
dened  by  the  fruits  of  his  long  service,  as  he 
sees  the  Indians  for  whose  spiritual  welfare 
he  has  diligently  labored,  coming  out  of 
heathenism  into  the  Christian  faith,  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  10$ 

becoming  members  of  the  church  of  Christ." 
But  that  unmarked  grave  !  After  a  few  years 
have  passed  and  the  toil-worn  missionary 
shall  have  ceased  from  his  work  on  earth,  or 
shall  have  been  removed  from  his  present 
field  of  labor,  shall  it  be  said  of  the  faithful 
wife  and  mother,  "  No  man  knoweth  of  her 
sepulchre  ?" 

Another  consecrated  life  is  just  closed  in 
the  death  of  Miss  Susan  L.  McBeth,  who  has 
left  to  the  church  and  to  the  world  a  rich 
legacy  in  her  noble  work  among  the  Nez- 
Perces  Indians,  showing  what  one  woman,  who 
has  her  whole  heart  in  the  work,  can  do  for  a 
tribe  of  Indians,  where  her  ability  is  equal  to 
her  zeal. 

It  is  now  more  than  twenty  years  since 
Miss  McBeth  began  her  work  among  the  Nez- 
Perces  Indians  of  Idaho.  She  formulated 
and  published  a  grammar  of  the  Nez-Perces 
language,  (being  a  fine  linguist),  and  under 
took  the  instruction  and  preparation  for  the 
ministry  of  the  young  men  of  that  tribe,  many 
of  whom  are  now  "  proclaiming  the  unsearch 
able  riches  of  Christ  among  their  countrymen 


106  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

and  in  their  native  tongue."  She  died  May 
26,  1893,  and  her  sister  writes  :  "  We  buried 
her  where  she  wished  to  be  laid,  down  in  the 
Kamiah  Valley,  close  to  the  little  Indian 
church  she  loved  so  well." 


"  The  desire  to  do  a  good  work  and  the 
ability  to  accomplish  it,  constitute  the  '  Call.' ' 

"  There  are  living  on  the  American  conti 
nent  at  this  time,  from  ten  to  twelve  millions 
of  Indians.  About  three  hundred  thousand 
Indians  are  in  the  United  States  and  forty 
thousand  in  Alaska. 

The  Indians  of  the  United  States  are  now 
found  in  Dakota,  Montana,  Washington,  New 
Mexico,  Arizona,  California,  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory  and  Idaho.  There  are  also  remnants 
of  once  powerful  tribes  in  the  Eastern  States. 

There  are  over  one  hundred  thousand  gath 
ered  on  reservations,and  ninety-eight  thousand 
have  become  self-supporting.  In  the  Indian 
Territory  there  are  more  than  thirty-five  thou 
sand  not  living  on  reservations.  About  fifty- 
eight  thousand  of  the  whole  Indian  population 
are  receiving  assistance  from  the  government. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  1OJ 

In  1868,  the  government  placed  the  appoint 
ment  of  Indian  agents  with  the  several  Chris 
tian  denominations,  and  in  ten  years,  forty 
thousand  Indians  besides  those  of  the  civilized 
tribes,  could  read  and  write.  It  would  cost 
but  three  millions  annually,  to  give  every 
Indian  girl  and  boy  in  the  United  States  a 
good  industrial  and  common  school  education. 

It  has  cost  the  United  States  government 
more  than  two  hundred  and  seventy  three 
millions  of  dollars  in  ten  years  to  fight  the 
Indians,  while  five  years'  schooling  of  twenty 
thousand  children  would  cost  but  twenty-two 
millions.  There  are  now  several  government 
schools  for  the  Indians,  one  at  Hampton,  la.; 
one  at  Carlisle,  Penn.,  and  there  are  also  mis 
sion  schools  at  Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  and  at 
Tucson  and  Phoenix,  Arizona. 

The  school  at  Carlisle  was  begun  in  1879 
and  owes  its  inception  and  success  to  the  zeai 
and  energy  of  Captain  R.  H.  Pratt  of  the 
U.  S.  Army.  In  his  '  Historical  Sketch  of  the 
Indian  Industrial  School  at  Carlisle,  Penn./ 
Captain  Pratt  says :  *  The  Carlisle  school 
had  its  origin  in  convictions  that  grew  out  of 
eight  years'  Calvary  service  (1867  to  1875), 
against  the  Indians  in  the  Indian  Territory,' 


I08  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

I  often  commanded  Indian  scouts,  took 
charge  of  Indian  prisoners  and  performed 
other  Indian  duty,  which  led  me  to  consider 
the  relative  conditions  of  the  two  races.  One 
plain  duty  resting  upon  us  with  regard  to  the 
Indians,  is  to  assist  them  to  die  as  helpless 
tribes,  and  to  rise  up  among  us  as  strong  and 
capable  individual  men  and  American  citizens. 
These  views  led  me  to  recommend  to  General 
Sheridan  in  1875,  when  sending  to  Florida 
the  Indian  prisoners  then  under  my  care  at 
Fort  Sill,  I.  T.,  that  they  should,  while  in 
such  banishment,  be  educated  and  trained  in 
civilized  pursuits,  and  so  far  as  practicable  be 
brought  into  relations  with  our  own  people- 
Being  detailed  to  conduct  the  prisoners  to 
Florida  and  to  remain  in  care  of  them,  I 
established  schools  among  them,  and  through 
letting  them  go  out  as  laborers,  which  they 
very  willingly  did,  and  every  other  means  that 
offered  or  that  I  could  contrive,  I  pressed 
upon  them  American  life  and  civilization. 
The  three  years  of  their  stay  in  Florida 
wrought  wonderful  changes  among  them  and 
in  the  spring  of  1878,  when  these  prisoners 
were  released,  twenty-two  of  the  young  men 
were  led  to  ask  for  more  education  and  said 


THE  £IMA  INDIAN  MISSION.  iog 

they   would   stay   east   three   years  longer  if 
they  could  go  to  school." 

The  money  being  provided  by  friends, 
seventeen  of  the  released  prisoners  were 
placed  in  school  at  Hampton  Institute,  Va., 
four  near  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  one  at  Tarrytown- 
on-the-Hudson.  The  following  year,  Captain 
Pratt  was  detailed  by  the  secretary  of  war, 
for  special  duty  with  reference  to  Indian 
education.  Thus,  we  see  again  the  interest 
evinced  by  an  army  officer  in  the  welfare  of 
the  Indian,  culminating  in  a  great  educational 
institution,  where  in  the  peaceful  arts  in  which 
the  former  enemies  of  our  government  are 
now  instructed,  we  have  pleasing  evidence 
that  "  the  sword  has  been  beaten  into  a  plough 
share,  and  the  spear  into  a  pruning-hook." 

It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  we  learn 
that  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Army  are  now 
detailed  as  Indian  agents,  and  that  they  will 
henceforth  be  known  as  the  friends  and  pro 
tectors  of  the  tribes  against  whom  they  have 
been  sent  to  quell  disturbances,  and  some 
times  to  engage  in  the  bloody  conflict. 

Our  correspondent  at  the  Pima  agency,  in 
a  letter  recently  received,  says  :  "  Let  our 


110  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

government  put  all  of  the  Apache  children 
in  school,  and  let  some  church  send  mission 
aries  to  the  Apaches,  and  ere  long,  we  shall 
not  need  soldiers  to  protect  us  from  the 
Indians  in  Arizona."  In  another  communi 
cation  received  from  Mr.  Cook,  he  says  :  "  I 
have  found  the  U.  S.  Army  officers  nearly 
always  the  friends  of  the  missionary."  He 
also  writes  under  date  of  August  n,  1891  : 
"  We  have  a  prosperous  government  school 
here,  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  chil 
dren,  another  school  at  Tucson,  with  about 
the  same  number  of  pupils.  Then  we  have 
about  an  hundred  children  at  the  Albu 
querque  government  school,  and  we  expect  to 
have  a  school  this  autumn  at  Phoenix,  Arizona, 
about  forty-five  miles  from  here  and  about 
twelve  miles  from  the  western  boundary  of 
our  reservation.  We  also  expect  to  build 
another  chapel  this  fall,  some  twenty  or  more 
miles  west  of  here,  where  we  already  have 
eight  members.  Perhaps  you  are  aware  that 
the  gospel  and  the  schools  are  taking  the 
place  of  the  army." 

The  report  of  the  superintendent  of  Indian 
schools,  gives  the  following  for  1892  : 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  Ill 

IN    SCHOOLS    IN    ARIZONA. 

Pima  Government  School, 142 

Tucson  Presbyterial, 171 

Phoenix  Government  School, 48 

IN    SCHOOLS    OUTSIDE  ARIZONA. 

Albuquerque  Government  School, 105 

Genoa,  Nebraska,  Government  School,.  . .    19 
The  above  includes  pupils  from  the  three 
tribes — Pimas,  Maricopas  and  Papagoes. 

"  The  first  day  school,"  writes  Mr.  Cook, 
"  among  the  Pima  Indians,  was  opened  Febru 
ary  15,  1871.  The  pupils  came  from  three  small 
Pima  villages,  two  to  three  miles  distant  ;  also 
from  a  Maricopa  village,  about  four  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  agency.  The  children 
were  hungry  and  almost  naked,  so  we  gave 
each  of  them  a  piece  of  bread  for  lunch.  A 
branch  school  was  subsequently  opened  in  a 
Maricopa  village,  with  Mrs.  Cook  as  assistant* 
At  first,  a  large  brush  hut  served  for  the  school, 
but  afterwards  a  suitable  room  was  built  by 
the  government.  The  clothing  sent  by  your 
society,  helped  to  clothe  the  children,  and  the 
good  Mason  and  Hamlin  organ,  aided  much 
in  the  English  singing,  in  which  the  pupils 
delighted.  The  school-house  also  often  an- 


112  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

swered  the  purpose  of  a  chapel,  and  on  winter 
evenings,  the  parents  often  met  there  to  listen 
to  the  gospel  message.  At  one  of  the  meet 
ings,  an  Indian  asked  if  it  was  '  true  that  we 
had  immortal  souls  ?  ' 

Our  preaching  in  the  various  villages  on 
Sundays,  had  the  effect  of  awakening  a  desire 
in  the  minds  of  the  Indians  for  schools  in  all 
of  their  villages.  We  have  translated  the  first 
chapters  of  Genesis,  the  Ten  Command 
ments,  some  of  the  Psalms  and  several  chap 
ters  of  the  New  Testament.  We  have  built 
two  churches  and  a  parsonage  with  only 
Indian  help,  which  has  left  us  but  little  time 
for  the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Pima 
language.  We  have  now  eighty-five  church 
members  and  expect  an  additional  number 
at  our  next  communion.  Our  chapel  will 
seat  three  hundred  persons,  and  we  have 
now  a  comfortable  church  home  at  a  total 
expense  of  $350.  The  organs  at  both 
chapels  are  in  good  order  and  are  doing  good 
service.  One  of  the  organs  is  played  by  one 
of  the  girls  of  the  Tucson  school.  We  expect 
to  build  a  church  this  fall,  some  thirty-five 
miles  west  of  the  agency,  where  we  have 
eight  members.  During  the  time  of  my  ser- 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  113 

vice  here,  I  have  preached  on  Sundays  in  most 
of  the  villages,  often  to  large  congregations. 
With  the  help  of  the  school  boys  during 
vacation,  we  have  translated  parts  of  the 
Bible  into  the  Pima  language.  I  send  you  a 
copy  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Pima 
language." 

THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 

Ah-chim  't  Aw-ock 

tahm  katch-im  chirt  't  ta, 

se-atch-has-oe-lit  moe  choe-oe-kick. 

Va  to  cheav-ia  hoek  near-noi-tam. 

Va  hap-o-chew  et-e  chue-wut  ap 
hoem  taht-cho  ha-po-mas-e-ma  tahm 
katch-im  chirt  hap-o-wah. 

Et-e  tars  ap  hie-a-chew  hook  t  mahk. 

Va-to  stoy-e-kal  pat  t  chew-ay-chick, 
ha-po-mas-ay-ma  n  ah-chim  stoy-i-kal 
wu-es,  ah-chim  pe-ap  hap- 
e-chew. 

Wu-es  sah-po  et  wu-ay, 

Wu-es  hie-a-chew  pe-a-po-kum  wo 
e-wuh-sit. 

Wu-e-he-chit  ah-pe  map-o-ot  te- 
nah-to-kam,  koe-ve-ki-tuck  oe-ni-ka, 
choep  hoe-kick-ka-lick  wu-e-he-chit 
ssoell.     Amen. 


114  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

About  8,000  Indians  speak  the  Pima  lan 
guage.  The  Pimas  number  about  4,000  ; 
the  Yuacharties,  750  ;  Papagoes,  3,250.  The 
Apaches  speak  a  different  language. 

The  Lord  hasten  the  time  when  every 
Indian  on  this  continent  shall  hear  in  his 
own  tongue,  the  glad  message  brought  to  the 
Shepherds  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem  :  "  Be 
hold  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  shall  be  to  all  people  ;  for  unto  you  is 
born  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour  which  is 
Christ  the  Lord." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     GILA    RIVER    RESERVATION— CLIMATE,    SOIL, 
PRODUCTIONS  AND  ANCIENT  RUINS. 

The  climate  of  southern  Arizona  is  one  of 
the  most  healthful  in  this  country.  During 
the  summer,  the  heat,  though  intense,  is  by  no 
means  unendurable.  It  is  far  more  tolerable 
when  the  mercury  is  at  105°  to  1 10°  than  when, 
in  the  east  or  north,  the  thermometer  stands 
at  90°.  Seldom  does  a  thunder  storm  from 
the  mountains,  reach  this  region,  or  a  cyclone 
bring  destruction  to  the  fields  and  dwellings. 
There  are  no  instances  of  sun-stroke  and  the 
sand  storms  which  occasionally  sweep  through 
the  valley  soon  pass,  and  without  damage  to 
the  fields  or  crops.  In  winter,  no  chilling 
winds  or  poisonous  blasts  are  to  be  dreaded, 
but  perpetual  sunshine  lights  up  the  land 
scape  and  invites  the  invalid  to  this  balmy 
atmosphere. 

The  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile  ;  it  needs 
only  good  cultivation  and  plenty  of  water  for 
irrigation  ;  the  sun  will  do  the  rest.  The  Gila 
river  is  capable  of  furnishing  an  abundant 
supply  of  water,  when,  in  addition  to  the 


Il6  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

large  amount  furnished  by  the  Florence  canal 
(the  only  canal  in  this  valley),  and  a  large 
reservoir  fifteen  miles  south  of  Florence, 
a  dam  shall  be  constructed  at  Buttes,  fourteen 
miles  east  of  the  town.  This  will  furnish  water 
sufficient  for  many  of  the  Indian  villages, 
besides  irrigation  for  250,000  acres  more  than 
the  canal  now  furnishes. 

The  Pima  or  Gila  river  reservation  is  the 
largest  of  the  four  reservations  (belonging 
to  the  Pimas,  Papagoes  and  Maricopas)  of 
the  Pima  Agency. 

It  is  about  forty-five  miles  long  and  four 
teen  miles  wide,  and  is  situated  on  the  Gila 
river.  The  valley  proper  averages  two  miles 
in  width  and  the  land  is  very  rich.  The  only 
difficulty  in  making  it  productive  and  fruit 
ful,  is  the  want  of  sufficient  water  for  pur 
poses  of  irrigation^  Nearly  all  kinds  of  grain 
and  vegetables,  as  well  as  nearly  all  the  citric 
and  other  fruits  of  a  semi-tropical  climate,  are 
produced  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Gila  river. 
With  a  full  supply  of  water  to  irrigate  their 
farms,  these  Indians  will  soon  be  entirely 
self-supporting. 

Fourteen  miles  east  of  the  Pima  Agency  ? 
is  the  famous  Ruin  of  Casa  Grande. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  117 

This  ruin  is  one  of  the  deepest  studies  for 
the  antiquarian  and  ethnologist  and  is 
among  the  best  preserved  of  the  pre-historic 
remains  in  our  country.  It  was  old  when 
Columbus  discovered  this  "  New  World,"  and 
is  supposed  to  have  been  erected  by  the 
unknown  race  of  civilized  people  who  once 
inhabited  this  valley.  It  is  an  object  of  curi 
osity  to  the  traveler,  though  of  the  hands  that 
built  it  and  for  what  purpose  it  was  erected, 
we  have  now  no  knowledge.  Its  massive 
walls  were  built  of  a  peculiar  concrete  of 
unknown  ingredients,  which  differs  greatly 
from  the  materials  used  by  any  of  the  Indian 
tribes  of  the  south-west  ;  and  its  interior  was 
finished  with  a  smooth  coat  of  cement  that 
has  successfully  withstood  the  ravages  of 
time.  It  was  evidently  a  handsome  and 
imposing  edifice,  of  six  or  eight  stories  high  ; 
but  beyond  this  fact  all  is  shrouded  in 
mystery. 

This  ruin  was  first  discovered  in  1540,  when 
the  walls  were  four  stories  high  and  six  feet 
in  thickness.  Around  it  were  many  other 
ruins,  with  portions  of  their  walls  yet  standing, 
which  would  go  to  prove  that  a  city  of  no 
inconsiderable  dimensions  once  existed  here. 


Il8  THE    PIMA    INDIAN     MISSION. 

As  showing  its  great  antiquity,  it  is  mentioned 
that  the  Pima  Indians,  who  then,  (1540)  as 
now,  were  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  origin  or  history  of 
the  structure,  or  the  people  who  built  it.  In 
the  immediate  vicinity,  the  traces  of  an 
immense  irrigating  canal  have  been  followed 
^o  the  Gila  river,  forty  miles  distant.  This 
canal,  no  doubt,  brought  water  to  the  city  and 
irrigated  the  rich  valley  which  surrounds  the 
river. 

Sphinx-like,  the  mysterious  ruin  stands 
amid  the  solitude  of  the  desert  plain,  while 
from  its  weather  beaten  crest,  voiceless  cen 
turies  look  down  upon  the  curious  inquirer. 


The  review  of  twenty-five  years  brings  to 
our  memory  an  incident,  which  is  not  irrelevant 
to  the  subject  of  "  missions  of  Christian  women 
to  the  Indians." 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  our  mission 
work  for  the  tribes  of  Indians,  commended 
to  our  sympathy  and  Christian  effort  by 
officers  of  the  United  States  Army,  that 
one  evening,  at  the  house  of  the  president 
of  our  association,  with  whom  we  were  then 
in  consultation,  a  good  elder  of  the  Presby- 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  lip 

terian  Church  called  and  introduced  to  us, 
the  Rev.  H.  H.  Spaulding  of  Oregon.  The 
venerable  missionary  was  on  the  way  to  his 
old  home  at  the  east,  after  an  absence  of 
thirty-four  years.  He  had  come  to  vindicate 
the  good  name  of  his  associate,  Dr.  Marcus 
Whitman,  the  martyr  missionary,  and  to  erase, 
if  possible,  from  the  records  of  congress,  the 
false  statements  published  under  what  pur 
ported  to  be  "an  account  of  the  murder  of 
Dr.  Whitman." 

Under  date  December  i,  1870,  the  fol 
lowing  account  of  the  visit  of  the  veteran 
missionary  appeared  in  the  same  weekly  jour 
nal  which  had  given  not  long  before,  a  place 
in  its  columns  to  the  appeal  for  a  teacher  for 
the  Pima  Indians,  to  which  we  have  already 
referred.  The  writer  says  under  the  heading, 
"  An  Evening  with  an  Old  Missionary :  " 


"One  day  last  week  a  man  of  humble  appear 
ance,  about  seventy  years  of  age,  called  at 
our  office  and  was  introduced  by  a  stranger, 
as  the  Rev.  H.  H.  Spaulding  of  Oregon.  We 
had  heard  something  of  his  labors  as  a  mis 
sionary  among  the  Indians  in  that  region  and 
were  glad  to  take  the  veteran  by  the  hand. 


120  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

The  few  words  we  could  then  have  together, 
led  us  to  press  him  to  share  our  hospitalities 
for  the  night,  which  he  accepted. 

"  Dr.  Whitman's  wife  and  mine,"  said  the 
missionary,  as  we  drew  up  our  chairs  about 
the  study  table,  and  opened  our  "  Colton  "  to 
the  right  map,  "  were  the  first  white  women 
that  ever  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains." 
"  But  how  came  you  to  go  ?"  we  asked. 

And  then  for  four  hours  of  the  rarest 
interest,  we  listened  to  the  wondrous  story 
of 

"THE  MACEDONIAN  NEZ-PERCES." 

About  their  council  fire,  in  solemn  conclave, 
it  was  in  the  year  1832,  the  Flat-Heads  and 
Nez-Perces  had  determined  to  send  four  of 
their  number  to  the  rising  sun  for  "  that 
book  from  heaven."  They  had  got  word  of 
the  Bible  and  a  Saviour,  in  some  way,  from 
the  Iroquois.  These  four  dusky  wise  men, 
one  of  them  a  chief,  who  had  thus  dimly 
"  seen  His  star  in  the  east,"  made  their  way 
to  St.  Louis  ;  and  it  is  significant  of  the  perils 
of  this  thousand  miles  journey,  that  only  one 
of  them  survived  to  return.  They  fell  into 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  121 

the  hands  of  an  explorer  who  had  traveled 
extensively  in  the  regions  of  the  Columbia 
river.  How  utterly  he  failed  to  meet  their 
wants  is  revealed  in  the  sad  words  with  which 
they  departed,  •'  I  came  to  you  " — and  the 
survivor  repeated  the  words  years  afterwards 
to  Mr.  Spaulding — "  with  one  eye  partly 
opened.  I  go  back  with  both  eyes  closed 
and  both  arms  broken.  My  people  sent  me 
to  obtain  that  book  from  heaven. 

I  am  now  to  return  without  it,  and  my  people 
will  die  in  darkness."  And  so  they  took 
their  leave.  But  this  sad  lament  was  over 
heard.  A  young  man  wrote  it  to  his  friends 
in  Pittsburgh.  Then  showed  the  account  to 
Catlin,  of  Indian  portrait  fame,  who  had  just 
come  from  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  said, 
"  It  cannot  be  ;  those  Indians  were  in  our 
company,  and  I  heard  nothing  of  this  ;  wait 
till  I  write  to  Clark  before  you  publish  it." 
He  wrote  ;  the  response  was,  "  It  is  true." 
That  was  the  sole  object  of  their  visit, — "  To 
get  the  Bible."  Then  Catlin  said,  "  Give  it 
to  the  world."  The  Methodists  at  once  com 
missioned  Rev.  Mr.  Lee  to  go  and  find  this 
tribe,  who  had  so  strangely  broken  out  of 
their  darkness  toward  the  light. 


122  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

Dr.  Marcus  Whitman,  of  the  American 
board  who  was  too  late  for  the  overland 
caravan  for  that  summer,  followed  the  next 
year.  He  found  the  Nez-Perces.  But  so 
fearful  were  the  ridges  and  the  ravines  of  the 
path  to  them,  and  so  wild  the  country  where 
they  roamed,  that  he  pushed  on  to  the  tribes 
living  near  the  coast. 

WOMAN'S  HEROISM. 

It  was  with  great  joy  the  Nez-Perces  wel 
comed  Whitman  the  next  year.  Having 
explored  the  situation,  and  taking  with  him 
two  boys  which  the  Indians  had  placed  in 
his  hands,  as  hostages,  in  some  sort,  for  his 
return,  he  went  back  for  his  intended  wife  and 
to  secure  others  for  the  work.  But  who 
would  go  ?  Men  could  be  found,  but  where 
was  the  woman  willing  to  brave  the  vague 
horrors  of  that  howling  wilderness  ?  His 
betrothed  consented.  But  an  associate  and 
he,  a  married  man,  must  be  obtained.  More 
than  a  score  of  most  devoted  ones  were 
applied  to  in  vain.  Friends  said  it  is  madness 
to  make  the  attempt.  For  that  country  and 
the  way  between,  in  the  popular  impression? 
was  a  dark  unknown,  full  of  terrors. 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  123 

A  year  was  spent  in  the  search  for  associ 
ates,  and  then  light  came  from  an  unexpected 
quarter.  In  the  early  spring  or  1836,  a  sleigh, 
extemporized  from  a  wagon,  was  craunching 
through  the  deep  snows  of  Western  New 
York.  In  it  were  Rev.  Mr.  Spaulding  and  his 
wife.  They  were  on  their  way,  under  com 
mission  of  the  American  board,  to  the  Osage 
Indians.  Mrs.  Spaulding  had  started  from 
a  bed  of  lingering  illness  and  was  then  able 
to  walk  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Dr. 
Whitman,  having  heard  of  the  rare  courage 
of  this  woman,  by  permission  of  the  board 
started  in  pursuit. 

"  We  want  you  for  Oregon,"  was  the  hail 
with  which  he  overtook  them. 

"  How  long  will  the  journey  take  ?  " 

"  The  summers  of  two  years." 

"  What  convoy  will  we  have  ?  " 

"  The  American  Fur  Company,  to  the 
Divide." 

"  What  shall  we  have  to  live  on  ?  " 

"  Buffalo  meat,  till  we  can  raise  our  own 
grain." 

"  How  shall  we  journey  ?  " 

"  On  horse-back." 

"  How  cross  the  rivers  ?  " 

"  Swim  them." 


124  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION". 

After  this  brief  dialogue,  and  we  give  it 
precisely  in  the  missionary's  own  words,  Mr. 
Spaulding  turned  to  his  wife  and  said,  "  My 
dear,  my  mind  is  made  up.  It  is  not  your 
duty  to  go  ;  but  we  will  leave  it  to  you  after 
we  have  prayed." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  a  wayside 
inn,  in  the  town  of  Howard,  N.  Y.  Taking 
a  private  room,  they  each  prayed  in  turn  and 
then  Mrs.  Spaulding  was  left  to  herself.  In 
about  ten  minutes  she  appeared  with  a  beam 
ing  face,  and  said,  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
to  go." 

"  But  your'  health,  my  dear  !  " 

"  /  like  the  command  just  as  it  stands,  *  Go 
ye  into  all  the  world,'  and  no  exception  for  poor 
health." 

"  But  the  perils  in  your  weak  condition — 
you  don't  begin  to  think  how  great  they  are." 

**  The  dangers  of  the  way  and  the  weakness 
of  my  body'are  His  ;  duty  is  mine." 

"  But  the  Indians  will  take  you  prisoner. 
They  are  frantic  for  such  captives.  You  will 
never  see  your  friends  again."  And  the 
strong  man  broke  down,  giving  vent  to  the 
anguish  of  his  soul  in  a  flood  of  tears. 

Was  it  the  wife  who  answered,  or  was  it  a 
voice  from  the  old  time  ? 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  125 

"  What  mean  ye  to  weep  and  to  break 
mine  heart  ?  for  I  am  ready,  not  to  be  bound 
only,  but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem,"  or  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  "  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus." 

"  Then,"  said  the  veteran,  with  a  charming 
simplicity,  "  I  had  to  come  to  it,  I  didn't  know 
anything." 

"  Well,  you  were  crazy,"  we  interposed,"  to 
think  of  such  a  journey  and  she  so  weak." 

"  We  were,  but  God  meant  to  have  us  go. 
He  wanted  to  have  an  emigration  go  across 
the  mountains,  and  this  was  the  way  He  took 
to  start  it." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  continued  their 
journey  and  Whitman  sending  forward  to  his 
bride  to  be  ready,  went  back  for  his  Indian 
boys — they  were  then  about  sixteen  years  old 
—and  pressed  on  after  them.  There  was  a 
hasty  wedding  by  the  way,  and  then  the 
bridal  tour  began. 

But  the  strife  of  parting  was  not  yet  over. 

At  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  all 
along  the  way,  hands  were  stretched  out  to 
hold  them  back.  Catlin  at  Pittsburgh,  assured 
them  they  could  not  take  women  through. 
The  hostile  Indians  that  hover  about  the 


126  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

convoy,  would  fight  against  any  odds  to  cap 
ture  them.  One  woman  had  tried  it,  but  the 
company  was  massacred,  and  she  was  dragged 
away  and  never  heard  of  again.  Mrs.  Spauld- 
ing  was  especially  beset  with  these  tales  of 
horror.  "But,"  said  the  husband  with  an 
honest  pride,  "  it  did  not  move  her  a  hair." 

A  SUNDAY  ON  SHORE. 

The  party  took  boats  at  Pittsburgh.  Satur 
day  night  found  them  between  Cairo  and  St. 
Louis.  Mrs.  Spaulding,  who  seems  to  have 
had  a  good  share,  both  of  the  courage  and  the 
conscience  of  the  company,  insisted  that  they 
should  be  put  on  shore  to  spend  Sunday. 
The  captain  and  the  passengers  laughed  at 
her  scruples.  "  But,"  she  said,  "  out  on  the 
plains  we  shall  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  Fur 
Company,  and  must  go  on.  Here  we  can 
stop." 

"  But  no  boat  will  ever  call  at  such  an  out- 
of-the-way  place  as  this,  to  take  you  off." 

"  We'll  take  the  chances  of  that.  Put  us 
on  shore.  The  New  England  home  mission 
ary  marked  that  day  in  white,  which  brought 
such  a  rare  accession  to  his  little  meeting  in 
the  school  house.  He  said  it  was  like  an 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  127 

angel's  visit.  Early  Monday  morning,  a 
great  puffing  was  heard  below,  and  a  grand 
steamer,  better  than  the  one  they  had  left, 
rounded  to,  at  their  signal,  and  took  them 
on  board.  Fifty  miles  above  they  overtook 
the  other  boat,  hopelessly  stranded  on  a  sand 
bar. 

At  St.  Louis,  the  missionaries  found  the 
American  Fur  Company  fitting  out  their  an 
nual  expedition  for  the  mountains,  but  as  the 
two  wives  were  of  the  party,  they  could  not 
have  secured  a  place  in  the  caravan,  had  not 
Whitman  been  in  special  favor  by  his  services 
rendered  the  year  before,  when  he  rendered 
invaluable  aid  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
cholera  in  the  camp  and  through  his  skill  and 
tact  restored  order  and  stayed  the  pestilence. 
Having  secured  the  company's  pledge,  they 
pressed  on  by  boat  to  Liberty  Landing.  Here 
Spaulding  purchased  mules — wild,  he  found 
them — fifteen  or  twenty  horses,  as  many  cows 
and  two  wagons,  not  forgetting  a  quarto?  seed 
wheat.  With  this  retinue,  he  started  for  Coun 
cil  Bluffs,  while  Whitman  waited  with  the 
women  and  the  goods  for  the  company's  boat. 
After  some  days  that  boat  passed,  purposely 
leaving  them  behind.  Through  this  bad 


128  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

faith,  he  was  obliged  to  send  forward  to  Spauld- 
ing  for  horses,and  to  overtake  him,  as  he  could, 
by  land.  This  part  of  the  trip  was  peculiarly 
trying.  Spaulding  especially,  who  for  his 
wife's  sake,  was  not  yet  altogether  happy  in 
going,  seemed  to  be  the  sport  of  a  very  ill 
fortune.  A  tornado  scattered  his  cattle,  swept 
away  his  tent,  tore  his  blankets  from  him  while 
suffering  from  ague,  and  left  him  to  be 
drenched  by  the  rain. 

It  did  not  help  the  case  any  to  learn,  when 
they  were  within  twenty-five  miles  of  Council 
Bluffs,  that  the  Fur  Company's  convoy  had 
started,  and  were  already  five  and  a  half  days 
out  on  the  plains. 

"  Twas  a  poor  chance,"  said  the  narrator, 
"  for  us  greenhorns.  They  were  old  trappers 
with  fresh  horses,  while  our  teams  were  already 
jaded."  And  I  said— for  I  was  terribly  sick — 
4<  we  can't  overtake  them,  we  shall  have  to  go 
back."  But  my  wife  constantly  affirmed,  "  I 
have*  started  for  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  I 
expect  to  go  there  !" 

And  now  commenced  a  series  of  marked  in 
terpositions.  It  was  pure  faith  and  not  sight 
at  all  to  push  on  after  that  cavalcade.  The 
trappers  evidently  designed  to  keep  ahead,  and 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  1 29 

induce  the  missionaries  to  turn  back.  Bur  to 
secure  the  protection  of  the  convoy  was 
indispensable. 

"  It  was  a  desperate  race,"  said  the  mis 
sionary,  kindling  at  the  remembrance,  "  but 
we  won  it.  They  had  to  halt  and  fill  up 
ravines  and  make  roads.  This  detained  them 
four  days.  After  various  detentions,  at  Soup 
Fork,  still  four  other  days  were  lost  in  find 
ing  the  ford,  and  drying  their  goods,  wet  in 
crossing.  Meanwhile,  we  were  pressing  on 
behind  and  the  Lord  helped  us.  The  day 
before  we  reached  Soup  Fork,  we  rode  from 
daylight  till  two  o'clock  at  night.  One  horse 
broke  down  and  was  turned  loose,  and  my 
wife  fainted  by  the  way.  A  signal  gun  at 
the  ford  brought  answer  from  the  other  side 
and  we  camped.  The  convoy  started  early 
in  the  morning,  but  left  a  man  to  show  us 
across,  and  late  that  night,  we  missionaries 
filed  into  their  camp  and  took  the  place 
reserved  for  us,  two  messes  west  of  the 
captain's  tent,  and  so  we  won  the  race  by 
two  lengths  !  "  Once  among  them,  nothing 
could  exceed  the  kindness  of  the  men.  The 
choicest  buffalo  morsels  were  always  kept  for 
our  ladies,  but  now,  sick  or  well,  we  had  to 


130  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

go  on.  We  were  two  hundred  souls  and  six 
hundred  animals.  Every  thing  was  in  the 
strictest  military  order,  for  hostile  Indians 
continually  hovered  on  our  flanks.  At  night, 
we  camped  with  the  animals  solid  in  the 
center.  The  tents  and  wagons  were  disposed 
around  them,  and  outside  of  all,  sentinels 
marched  their  steady  round.  Each  day,  two 
hunters  and  two  packers  went  out  for  Buffalo. 
Each  night,  save  when  we  had  lost  the  way, 
they  overtook  us  at  the  appointed  camp  with 
four  mule  loads  of  meat.  This  was  our  only 
subsistence." 

"  Did  they  never  fail  to  find  game  ?" 

"  Yes,  once  or  twice,  and  then  we  had  to  go 
hungry." 

On  the  6th  of  June,we  were  at  Fort  Laramie. 
Wife  was  growing  weaker  and  weaker. 

"  You  must  stay  here,"  said  the  captain  ; 
"  Mrs.  Spaulding  will  die  for  want  of  bread." 

"  No,"  said  she,  "  I  started  to  go  over  the 
mountains  in  the  name  of  my  Saviour,  and  I 
must  go  on." 


July  fourth,  they  entered  the  South  Pass. 
Mrs.  Spaulding  fainted  that  morning  and  she 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  131 

herself  thought  she  was  about  to  die.  As  they 
laid  her  upon  the  ground  she  said  :  "  Don't 
put  me  on  that  horse  again.  Leave  me  and 
save  yourselves.  Tell  mother  I  am  glad  I 
came." 

But  the  caravan  stopped  on  the  "divide"  and 
sent  back  for  her  and  she  was  borne  on.  She 
soon  revived  and  three  hours  afterward  they 
saw  the  waters  trickling  toward  the  Pacific. 
And  there — it  was  Independence  Day — they, 
alighting  from  their  horses  and  kneeling  on 
the  western  slope  of  the  continent,  with  the 
Bible  in  one  hand  and  our  national  flag  in  the 
other,  took  possession  of  it  as  the  home  of 
American  mothers  and  of  the  church  of 
Christ. 

Just  beyond,  was  the  great  mountain  ren 
dezvous,  the  end  of  the  convoy's  route,  a  kind 
of  neutral  ground  where  multitudes  of  Indians 
were  gathered  for  trade.  There  were  rough 
mountaineers  there,  who  had  not  seen  a  white 
woman  since  they  had  left  the  homes  of  their 
childhood.  Some  of  them  came  to  meet  the 
missionaries  and  wept  as  they  took  their  wives 
by  the  hand.  "  From  that  day,"  said  one  of 


132  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

them,  "  I  was  a  better  man."  But  best  of  all, 
here  met  them  a  greeting  party  of  the  Nez- 
Perces.  "They  were  the  happiest  men  you 
ever  saw."  Their  women  took  possession  of 
Mrs.  Spauldingand  the  gladness  they  showed, 
not  less  than  the  biscuit-root  and  the  trout 
with  which  they  fed  her,  revived  her  spirit. 
From  that  hour  she  t>egan  to  mend  ;  and 
from  that  hour,  her  future  and  theirs  were 
one.  Ten  days  of  rest  here,  and  the  journey 
was  resumed.  The  remainder  of  the  way,  if 
shorter,  was  no  less  perilous  and  they  had 
asked  in  dismay,  "  What  shall  we  do  for  a 
convoy  ?  "  But  God  took  care  of  them.  He 
sent  an  English  trading  company  to  the  ren 
dezvous  that  year — an  unusual  thing — and 
with  them,  they  completed  their  journey.  It 
was  the  twenty-ninth  of  November  when  they 
reached  the  Columbia  river.  They  had  left 
civilization  the  2ist  of  May,  a  long  journey, 
but  not  the  trip  of  two  summers  to  which  they 
had  made  up  their  minds. 

And  now  they  were  at  home,  amid  a  nation 
that  had  no  homes  ;  they  had  found  a  resting- 
place  among  restless  wanderers.  But  faith 
had  become  sight — the  first  battle  had  been 
fought  and  won.  White  women  had  come 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  133 

safely  over  the  mountains  ;  cattle  and  horses 
had  been  kept  secure  from  Indian  raiders  ;  a 
wagon  had  been  brought  through,  "  the  first 
wheel  that  had  ever  pressed  the  sage." 

Whitman  had  demonstrated  to  himself  that 
an  emigration  could  cross  from  Missouri  to 
Oregon  ;  and  when,  six  years  afterward,  he 
led  a  company  of  a  thousand  along  the  same 
track,  he  demonstrated  it  to  the  world,  and 
saved  Oregon,  and  with  it  California,  to  the 
United  States. 

The  old  missionary's  story  is  not  half  told, 
but  we  must  cut  it  short.  Whitman  took  the 
Cayuses  at  Waiilatpu,  near  Walla  Walla ; 
Spaulding  camped  120  miles  farther  up  the 
Snake  river,  among  the  Nez-Perces.  He 
found  a  people  without  a  hoe  or  plow,  or  hoof 
of  cattle  ;  savages,  who  feasted  when  the  hunt 
was  good,but  starved  through  the  long  winters. 
Eleven  years  afterward  they  were  settled  in 
homes  ;  their  crops  of  grain  had  reached  from 
20,000  to  30,000  bushels  a  year.  The  cows 
which  the  missionaries  brought,had  multiplied 
for  the  Indians  into  numerous  herds  ;  gardens 
and  orchards  were  planted  ;  the  sheep,  which 
the  Sandwich  Islanders  gave  them,  had  grown 
to  flocks.  In  the  school  which  Mrs.  Spauld 
ing  taught  were  five  hundred  pupils  ;  a  church 


134  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

of  a  hundred  members  had  been  gathered. 
The  language  of  the  people  had  been  reduced 
to  writing.  A  patriarchal  government  with  a 
code  of  laws  had  been  established  ;  the  Sab 
bath  was  observed.  Upon  the  first  printing 
press  west  of  the  mountains,  and  that  pre 
sented  to  the  mission  by  the  native  church  at 
Honolulu,  (the  type-setting,  press-work  and 
binding  done  by  the  missionary's  own  hand) 
were  printed  a  few  school  books,  the  native 
code  of  laws,  a  small  collection  of  hymns,  and 
the  gospel  of  Matthew. 

And  then  came  the  terrible  martyrdom  of 
Dr.  Whitman.  Spaulding,  visiting  him  at 
the  time,  fled  for  his  life  to  his  faithful  Nez- 
Perces.  Six  days  he  was  without  food,  feel 
ing  his  way,  sore-footed,  by  night,  and  hiding 
when  the  dawn  appeared. 

There  was  a  hasty  gathering  of  the  house 
hold,  a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles  to  the 
settlements  in  mid-winter,  and  the  mission 
came  to  an  end.  Almost  blind  himself,  and 
broken  in  constitution,  he  watched  for  many 
months  by  the  bed-side  of  his  wife,  dying  from 
that  exposure — watched  till  she  passed 
through  the  river  to  the  Celestial  Mountains 
and  the  Land  beyond. 

"  The  dead  are  there  where  rolls  the  Oregon." 


THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION.  135 

But  again  the  "  blood  of  the  martyrs " 
proved  "  the  seed  of  the  church."  Eventually, 
Mr.  Spaulding  returned  to  his  loved  field  of 
labor  among  the  faithful  Nez-Perces  and  from 
a  young  missionary,  consecrated  to  that  work 
two  years  after  the  interview  which  we  have 
described,  we  received  a  most  interesting  let 
ter,  in  which  is  the  following,  under  date  Nez- 
Perces,  Indian  Reserve,  Aug.  6,  1872  : 

"  I  can  only  write  now  of  the  topic  which  I 
think  will  most  interest  you  :  The  election  of 
this  people  to  the  brotherhood  in  the  kingdom 
of  God's  dear  son.  Of  our  revered  Brother 
Spaulding's  early  labors  and  sacrifices  among 
them,  and  the  martrydom  of  his  angel  wife 
you  have  undoubtedly  heard.  But  though  the 
exile  of  Brother  Spaulding  from  his  beloved 
people  continued  through  a  period  of  twenty- 
four  years,  the  light  did  not  all  go  out. 
Through  the  long  twenty-four  years,  the  voice 
of  prayer  did  not  cease,  nor  were  the  hymns 
and  the  translated  passages  of  Scripture  laid 
aside,  but  were  sacredly  kept  and  used." 

The  noble  policy  of  President  Grant 
restored  to  them  again,  their  beloved  pastor, 
and  the  seed  which  he  had  sown  in  tears,  so 
many  years  before,  now  seemed  to  need  but 


136  THE    PIMA    INDIAN    MISSION. 

his  presence  (as  the  warmth  of  the  sun)  to 
cause  it  to  spring  up  and  "bring  forth  fruit 
abundantly." 

On  his  return  to  his  field  of  labor  at  Lap- 
wai,  a  new  generation  met  him  (only  eighteen 
of  his  former  church  being  left);  but  the 
fathers  had  taught  the  children  to  watch  and 
pray  for  the  return  of  their  old  pastor,  and 
they  received  him  and  the  word  of  life  which 
he  spoke,  with  an  eager  welcome.  Within  one 
week,  over  eighty  were  added  to  the  church, 
and  the  great  work  went  on. 

There  are  already  two  old  men  and  seven 
young  men,  who  preach  acceptably  in  the 
native  language.  We  aim  at  the  conversion 
of  the  whole  tribe,  which  numbers  nearly  three 
thousand." 


In  taking  leave  of  our  readers,  if  any 
apology  should  seem  necessary  for  bringing  to 
them  our  personal  reminiscences,  we  can  only 
say  that  the  story  of  the  two  missions  which 
we  have  related,  it  is  hoped  may  be  blessed 
of  God  to  the  "  sending  forth  laborers  into 
his  harvest." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

Fine  schedule:  25  cents  on  first  day  overdue 

50  cents  on  fourth  day  overdue 
One  dollar  on  seventh  day  overdue. 


i?  is.;? 


'    ^ 

1 

a*-*8 

IN  STACKs 

0CT17193? 


)  21-100m-12,'46(A2012sl6)4l20 


YB  2C532 


